


Against the Galaxy

by ViolaValentin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-13
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-01-24 14:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 68,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1608815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViolaValentin/pseuds/ViolaValentin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kahlei, a Jedi Knight, has the choice of two paths: to save the life of a friend or the lives of millions. Backed only by Lord Scourge who barely seems to tolerate her, she sets out on a third path. But will she find that's a mistake?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> “Compassion is the basis of morality.”  
> ― Arthur Schopenhauer

Heavy doors smashed shut behind her. Footsteps echoed throughout the room as the soles of her boots hit the marble floor.

The Jedi Council.

It truly was the liveliest place in the galaxy.

Kahlei wasn't one for debating. Why waste time when she could be saving lives? Discussing how to do it was pointless.

When the Grand Master had requested that she attended this particular meeting, she hadn't exactly been thrilled. Nevertheless, she'd obeyed like a good little Jedi - like she always did.

She was a Jedi Master, but not a Council Member. It was odd that she'd been told to go personally. Kahlei would have preferred to attend on her holocom back in the comfort of her ship.

It was only when she was halfway towards the only empty seat she assumed was hers, she realised the Council had fallen silent upon her entrance and now carefully watched her.

She frowned.

Weird.

"Master Kahlei, I appreciate you taking time to attend this meeting."

Kahlei bowed her head in respect. "Always a pleasure, Grand Master." A lie. This was so boring.

Master Satele Shan was the only Jedi who stood. Her table was centred in the middle of a larger table that curved round her. The Masters of the Jedi Council were seated at it. Their eyes still remained on her.

"I hope you can forgive the abruptness of this and we have already thoroughly discussed the issue whilst you travelled here. I hope you come to the same conclusion as us after watching this. We received this message 13 hours ago." Satele wasted no time in playing a holo recording.

A tall human woman flashed onto the holocom next to Satele, her vibrant red hair elaborately done up with a plait running down her back. Her face was adorned with red markings, and the dark armour that should have weighed her down somehow made her look more elegant.

"Greetings, Jedi scum." Her unmistakeably imperial voice was strong and commanding. "I am the Emperor's Wrath."

The Sith's arms were crossed but the rest of her body took a more open stance. "It is my understanding that you shelter a traitor. Allow me to take him off your hands. Lord Scourge is a pollution upon your 'perfect' Order."

She narrowed her eyes. "I can't imagine you would refuse me. Unless, of course, you have deluded yourselves into thinking he's some sort of hero." Wrath cackled.

"He only assisted you on your pathetic quest for his own personal gain. Hardly a saint. He sought the Emperor's power but was too weak to harness it." Tapping her chin, she continued. "Now, I'm fully aware that your Jedi idiocy knows no bounds and I am 99.9% sure you will fail to see reason. So, I have an incentive for your cooperation.

I have a truly spectacular prototype that causes worlds to explode in minutes. How delightful, hmm? Unfortunately, the rest of the Empire are concerned about side effects and refuse to give it a test run. I, however, am eager to take it for a spin and am not nearly as worried about the consequences as those fools.

"Don't you think Coruscant is a superb destination? I know I do. An immensely populated Republic world? Sounds fun. However, giving that treacherous worm an eternity of vengeance is more amusing, so I'd rather spare Coruscant this once. And I am a Sith of my word, Jedi. No, honestly.

"I'm also a very understanding woman and I realise that although you may cooperate, you may find it difficult to convince Scourge to also do so. Therefore I shall give you one Dromund Kaas month to help me capture him. If I don't get hold of him in this time, Coruscant goes boom."

The image of Wrath fizzled out.

Kahlei sighed, cupping her forehead in her palm.

Great.

No.

This was really just awesome.

She hated having to pick between friends and millions of lives. Why was she never given a third option?

If she chose to help a friend, she'd sacrifice so much innocent life. If she chose to follow her Jedi teachings, she'd sacrifice someone she'd grown to care about - however frowned upon that was by her Order.

It was kind of sad to think that if she'd listened to all those old, by the book Masters she'd had as a padawan (before Orgus), she'd have been the perfect Jedi and would choose to save Coruscant with ease. That's what the Order wanted her to do.

But could she really go through with that?

Was that the kind of person she was?

"I don't expect you to act yet, Kahlei," Master Satele said. Her tone was much softer than she had ever heard before. "I understand that it is hard to not form attachments to those you work closely with, despite how hard you may try not to. Meditate on this and return to us tomorrow morning."

* * *

Two decisions lay before her.

Which one was right? Which one was wrong?

Kahlei shook her head, focusing on the waterfall in front. There was one person who would be able to help her.

She shut her eyes, then proceeded to block the sounds around her. Small animals scurrying in the grass, the gushing of water, the breeze tickling leaves: these were all blanked out. Next came the ridding of taste. Perhaps, she shouldn't have that tea. Its sweetness still lingered upon her taste buds. Apparently it helped stress, but obviously that was a lie.

Kahlei scolded herself. She needed to stop these petty thoughts.

Focus.

Once she'd shut out the remaining senses, she began to amplify the sixth. Reaching out into the force, she tried to find Master Orgus's presence.

Nothing.

Again.

She'd assumed that the place he'd taken her to as a padawan to meditate would be a good location to search for his spirit in the Force. Clearly she was wrong.

Had he finally gone to rest now that the Emperor was dead? As much as she was pleased that he'd found peace, part of her felt frustrated. How would she make her judgment without her old Master to guide her?

Kahlei was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't sense her visitor arrive. So when he spoke, she quite literally jumped out of her.

"Oh, Master Kahlei! I hadn't heard you'd returned to Tython."

She looked up to see the only other Sith Pureblood she'd ever had a civil conversation with. Lord Praven. Well, Jedi Knight Praven now.

"I only got here this morning." She paused. "I take it the Grand Master didn't send you then?"

"I came here to meditate, like yourself." He frowned. "You were the one who first taught me about peace, yet I don't sense that you are at peace. Is something wrong?"

He'd find out about her dilemma soon enough. There was no harm in confiding in him.

"I know that it is wrong of me to put one life above so many, but not doing that feels just as wrong."

"Do what is right."

"So I shouldn't be putting a friend's life over millions?"

He sighed. "No. I mean, do what you truly believe is right. Not what the Council think is right. If you don't mind me asking, what is actually going on?"

"Wrath wants us to hand over Scourge or she'll blow up Coruscant," Kahlei confessed.

"Hm, I see." Praven shrugged. "You'll find another way to stop her, Kahlei. Have faith in yourself."

* * *

"Master Satele, what's going on? Why did you want to see all of us?" The redhead frowned, glancing over the crew - minus a few members. The Grandmaster gestured for her to be quiet. "Fine, whatever."

Kira watched Doc scratch his head, thoughtfully, whilst scanning the room. The Council were all gathered here, muttering amongst themselves. She assumed some were new to the Council since she'd never come across some of them before. "Y'know, I'd have thought Kahlei'd be summoned to a Jedi party like this: never mind the rest of us."

Kira nodded her agreement. This was waay too strange.

The Grand Master cleared her throat, silencing the room. "I do apologise for the delay. Master Kahlei should be on her way any minute now.

The Council's holoterminal beeped as if on cue. Master Satele answered it.

"Greetings, fellow Jedi." Kahlei appeared on screen, her scraped back into a high ponytail, as usual. "As you requested, I have made my decision."

Kira saw Master Satele narrow her eyes. "I hope you're not here in person because you're already on your way."

On her way to what? Kira wondered.

"I don't believe in bowing down to the Empire, so no. I also don't believe in sacrificing friends - yeah, yeah, I know I'm such a terrible Jedi for forming attachments, but betraying friends if just something I won't or ever do."

"If you do this Kahlei you will oppose us, the Republic and the Empire. You will be alone against the galaxy."

"Heh, well, I can live with that."

Her old Master turned her attention to her and the rest of the crew who were all standing behind Satele. "Yeah, sorry, but I you all can't join me on this one. I don't want you to ruin your lives for me." Kahlei glanced down at something next to her. Kira wasn't sure what it was. "I have exactly 10 seconds before you are able to track my ship, so, bye!" She guessed is must have been some sort of timer.

When Kahlei's image had faded on the holoterminal, Satele sighed and shook her head. "This is a great loss to our Order. We will greatly miss Kahlei's martial skill and determination. It's unfortunate that she refused to cooperate." Satele turned to face Kira. "Master Kira, you know Kahlei better than any of us do and you are the only one who she would listen to."

"Grand Master, I don't understand what caused her to turn away from the Order?"

"Wrath asked us to give her Lord Scourge or she would blow up Coruscant. Kahlei refuses and I believe she is trying to destroy the weapon capable of doing this." Not wanting to sacrifice a friend? That was exactly the sort of thing Kahlei would do. "I do not doubt that she wouldn't be able to defeat this Wrath if it came to combat, but we know nothing of the weapon and I fear that if Wrath suspects that we are not obliging, she will activate the weapon. We cannot risk Coruscant for the life of someone who refuses to be one of us. Imagine how the Republic would feel if they discovered this? They would turn away from us and the Empire would conquer the galaxy."

"But, Master Satele, even if we give Wrath Scourge, how do we know she won't break her promise?"

"We don't. That's why others are going to find information on the weapon."

"But if you destroy the weapon then you don't need to give them Scourge?"

"Giving Wrath Scourge will remove her suspicion and makes it easier for us to hide our motives. It's also highly likely this process will take longer than the deadline she gave us."

"I.. I understand. What do you need me to do, Grand Master?"

The rest of the crew remained silent. Kira suspected they saw her as their new leader: Kahlei's replacement. Not that she could or would ever want to replace her friend.

"I need you to track Kahlei and to make her see reason. We need to try to get her to return to the Order as she is invaluable. I also highly doubt Lord Scourge would willingly agree to turn himself in. Kahlei is the only one who could convince him to go and one of the few that would be able to force him to do so."

"What if she won't agree?"

"Then we will have to view Kahlei as a threat to our Order and will have to stop her and Scourge by any means necessary. This is for the greater good, Kira. It's just a shame that the Sith has corrupted one of our best warriors."

Kira gulped. She didn't like the sound of 'any means necessary'. Did they mean they would resort to killing Kahlei if she failed to return?

And she wasn't so sure Kahlei's decision was completely because of Scourge. Even before Scourge had joined them, Kahlei had been more than willing to do anything to save her friends.

Besides, if anything Scourge discouraged Kahlei from befriending him. No, this had nothing to with Scourge - apart from the fact that he was the friend concerned.

She wasn't sure how she felt about this.

Kira could completely understand Kahlei's decision, yet she could also completely understand the Council's decision.

She agreed that the Council could be wrong at times (not very often), but this time they were right.

Sacrificing all that life for a Sith was wrong. Kahlei was too ambitious to properly consider the possibility of failure. The risk was too great. She had to make her friend see this.

Kira nodded, satisfied with her conclusion. She would try her very best to resolve this without violence.

* * *

It was only as she turned around that she realised Lord Scourge had been watching the holocall. He was leant against the door, frowning. As usual he was clad in his heavy dark armour that he always wore. Kahlei didn't think that in all the time he had been part of her crew that she had seen him without it. Maybe he'd worn it for so long that it had glued to him and was like a second skin? Had it been a happier day, Kahlei would have giggled to herself.

She remembered the time she'd tried to get him to replace it with Jedi armour so he didn't scare the civilians quite as much. He'd been furious (well, as much as he could pretend to be with his curse) and had reminded her that he would always be Sith.

When she'd first met him, she'd been slightly intimidated by how his figure loomed over her: his height made him pretty damn scary. She wasn't exactly the shortest woman she'd ever met, but she barely came up to his chest. Now that she'd gotten to know him better, she'd discovered that he was relatively harmless and was anything but your usual Sith.

"You stood up to your pathetic Order, hm, Jedi?" If she didn't know better, she'd have said he sounded impressed. Instead, she knew he simply found it interesting and a 'step towards the Dark Side.'

"They're not pathetic. Just blind at times."

"You're defending them despite the fact that they turned you away as soon as you chose to express your own views? Is that really the freedom you jedi believe in?"

Kahlei folded her arms, attempting to stand her ground. "You will always be Sith; I will always be Jedi. You can't manipulate me."

Scourge smirked. "I see."

"The Order think you have. They probably blame you for my 'antics'."

"Have I?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like I just said, you can't manipulate me to the Dark Side. This is entirely my decision."

He reminded silent for a few moments, regarding her. "Why are you throwing everything you've worked for, Jedi?"

It was always like this. He'd quiz her on everything and then if he found anything interesting (anything that remotely appeared to be a Dark Side quality), he'd continue to quiz her some more.

"Because I don't sacrifice friends when I know it will be in vain."

There was no way that the psychotic Sith on that holocom would miss an opportunity to wreck havoc in Republic space. She'd seen numerous sith wanting to 'finish what they started' on Coruscant.

Scourge sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't require friends or protection?"

"Clearly not enough."

"I don't want your Jedi charity." He stalked out of the room. "You can take it elsewhere."

Kahlei sighed, collapsing into the sofa.

_Great._

He was quite right. She'd just practically thrown her entire it all away for someone who;

One: Refused to consider her a friend.

Two: Had no gratitude.

And three: Was a Sith.

_Way to go, Kahlei. You just officially screwed up your life._

But what was done was done. There was no point crying over split milk.

Now she had to come up with a plan.

A plan that would prove that she'd been right to trust her instincts and choose correctly.

And if she failed -

Well, she couldn't consider that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Old stories are like old friends, she used to say. You have to visit them from time to time.”  
> ― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

 

"Are you sure you have no information, Agent Helver?" She stared down into her com at the minature version of the SIS Agent she'd met on Corellia, hoping she was wrong.

 

"We've heard nothing about a newly developed Imperial super weapon. But if this is true it is worrying that we've heard nothing about it until now. The Imperials must have tightened their security.

 

Kahlei sighed. That was the fifth SIS Agent she'd spoken to. She'd also managed to get in contact with various agents she'd met on Nar Shaddaa, but none of them had any idea what she was talking about.

 

"Well, thanks, anyway." Her holocom beeped off and she sunk further into her chair.

 

She had expected to have had a lead on the weapon by now. This was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

 

_So, who else might know something?_

Doctor Godera would have been a good place to start. He'd hated the Empire so much and even if he hadn't heard anything, he would have tried his very best to find out some information.

 

His death had been a real tragedy - one in particular she wished she could have prevented.

 

_Who else? Who else was there?_

 

Agent Galen! She practically fell out of her seat. Of course! If he'd successfully managed to infiltrate the Empire, he'd be the best person to ask about something like this. That was, of course, assuming he hadn't been killed.

 

How had she forgotten about him? Kahlei had been furious at the experiments the Sith Lord had conducted on him. Controlling her anger in that fight had been nearly impossible.

 

The affliction was irreversible, but the SIS had helped him regain control. He'd sent her a message thanking her and saying that he was going undercover in Sith space.

 

Trying to find his comm frequency was a nightmare, but she had high hopes it'd be worth it.

 

 

 

She collapsed into her sofa and entered the frequency into her holocom.

 

"Master Jedi!" He exclaimed, after realising it was her. "I didn't think we'd meet again."

 

"Hey! How you holding up after, you know--?" She didn't want to directly ask about exact issue. How would she name it? The power guard problem? That was too blunt.

 

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks. I've gotten used it. But I suppose you didn't just contact me for a quick chitchat?"

 

Kahlei shook her head. It was a shame she couldn't spend all her time just chatting to old friends. "Have you heard anything about a new Imperial super weapon?"

 

He scratched his chin. "You're, eh, going to have to give me more than that. Weapon projects are worryingly common in the Empire."

 

"Umm, a super weapon capable of blowing up Coruscant with heavy Sith involvement. It's a, uh, 'successful' project by the sound of things."

 

"Hmmm. I'm not sure." He paused, thinking. "Actually, I have heard rumours about an isotope - 5 super weapon that was recently being developed. I'm not sure if it's completed or not, though."

 

"Isotope -5? Isn't that the stuff on Makeb?"

 

Galen slowly nodded. "Imperial scientists are fascinated by it. Darth Marr oversees Makeb and was the one who decided to recover the substance for the Empire, so the sith definitely have a hand in that project. I mean, I'm not entirely sure this is the weapon you're after. There's so many possibilities this thing could be. Like a laser or something?"

 

"But this is the most likely?"

 

"Very likely."

 

_Yes! A lead!_

 

"Thanks, Galen! Seriously, you're a lifesaver!"

 

"It's the least I could. I owe you so much."

 

"I didn't really do that much."

 

Galen shook his head. "You gave me hope. I'd be nothing without hope."

 

"Well, I'm glad  I helped--"

 

"I..."She could see him glanced around. "I have to go. Now." His voice was filled with urgency. Had she compromised his cover by contacting him? Her holocom cut off. She swallowed, praying he'd be okay.

 

They had a start: Makeb. It'd be nice to visit the planet when it wasn't about to tear itself apart. Not that the circumstances for her visit were any better, though.

 

Kahlei looked up to see Lord Scourge's hulking frame in the doorway. How did he always manage to sneak up on her like that?

 

Scourge raised a brow. Well, the pointed ridge above his eye that would have been an eyebrow on a human. "A social call, Jedi?"

 

"No, I was trying to find information on the super weapon."

 

He frowned. "This is foolish. It'd be easier if I hid from the Empire."

 

"And let Wrath destroy Coruscant? That's not an option."

 

"I don't require your assistance. You would have no part in the destruction."

 

Why did he constantly refuse her help? "Look, I don't get if it's a sithy thing or what, but is it that hard to realise that you can't do everything by yourself? That sometimes you have to rely on friends?"

 

"To be dependent on others is to be weak."

 

Well, there it was. The reason to why he constantly swatted away her offers of friendship. At least it wasn't personal.

 

"No, to be weak is to allow your pride to stop you from getting help when you need it most. If I hadn't asked for Agent Galen's help, we wouldn't know where to start with this weapon. Nobody knows everything, nor are they good at everything. That's why sometimes you need other people's skills."

 

Scourge remained silent for a moments. He eyed her carefully, musing. "Why do you allow your Council to control you?"

 

"They don't. I disobeyed them."

 

"Yet they still continue to rule your beliefs. They brain washed you into following their ideals."

 

"Look Scourge, I'm helping you. I don't need you to admit to it to know you need my help," she said, staring at him to reinforce her point.

 

He stared back. Finally he broke away and answered, "Fine. Jedi. What did this Galen tell you?" 

 

* * *

 

 

Why did this Jedi insist on helping him? What did she gain?

 

 

She was foolish, like the rest of them. Risking her own life and throwing everything away for another person was stupid. He'd never understand jedi.

 

Even though she had some of the typical jedi qualities he despised, something about her intrigued him.

 

He had discovered she made little effort to conceal her emotions and even used them to give her strength. Not quite in Sith fashion: it was more as compassion. She cared so much about those innocent lives that their emotions became her own. This drove her to do reckless things for insignificant fools.

 

Is that why she wanted to help him? Because she pitied him.

 

He slashed out at a droid projection. T7 had put together the training simulation for Kahlei.

 

Did the Jedi think so little of him? Did she think he was another whelp that needed saving? Was she mocking him?

 

All he wanted to feel was anger, frustration and more anger.

But there was nothing.

 

He have given anything away to just feel any emotion even just one more time. He couldn't even call what he had a life. It was just an existence. An existence that refused to cease. There was no enjoyment. No colour - just various shades of grey. Grey. That's what this existence was. It wasn't full fire nor was it peaceful. It was neither. It was bland.

 

But to truly live again was something he prayed for. He'd told his Jedi that he wished for it, but hadn't revealed exactly how much.

 

Scourge stopped.

 

 _His_ Jedi? Since when had she become his Jedi?

 

He shook his head.

 

It was nearly impossible to avoid her advances of friendships. She persisted and persisted and persisted. And somehow he'd given in.

 

He was surprised she didn't despise him, especially after how dismissive he'd been.

 

Perhaps he ought to change that. Maybe just a little. After all, she was useful. And he hated to say it, without her he had little purpose. He couldn't go back to being with the Sith and he couldn't join the Jedi. But now Kahlei was with neither of them, like himself.

Anyway, what was his alternative? To rot away in some damp cave, hiding from the Galaxy? That was a waste of his skill.

 

Besides, she was tolerable.

 

And now that she'd proven she wasn't mindless, she was all the more interesting.

 

He struck down the last holo droid. Hardly a challenge.

 

Scourge frowned. He needed a real opponent.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

She'd set coordinates to Makeb and put the ship on auto pilot. All they could do now was to wait.

 

Kahlei had been pacing around the ship until she heard the call of her name. Well, not name. Had he ever addressed her as Kahlei? It was always Jedi. She'd gotten so used to it that she turned round at it as instinctively as her actual name.

 

She peered into the Cargo Hold to see Scourge putting away the training droid simulation. "Hmm?"

 

"Up for some practice?"

 

It was only then that she realised she'd never properly sparred with him before. Apart from the time they fought each other in front of the Emperor, of course. But that was so long ago.

 

"Sure. I'll go get my training bla-"

 

"No. Use your lightsaber. There is no point in practicing without one."

 

"Uh, okay."

 

He lit his saber. Kahlei copied, lighting both of hers.

 

They began to circle round each other, waiting for one to make the first move. Scourge looked as if he truly wanted to kill her. Hopefully he didn't.

 

He attempted to strike a cautious blow with a shii-cho form. She dodged, lashing out at his midsection with her left saber. He was ready for her retaliation, easily reflecting the attack.

 

Scourge narrowed his eyes. "This is no good unless you try to strike with real intent."

 

"I could hurt you!"

 

"You can't hurt me, Jedi." He made references to his curse in most conversations they had. If he could feel, she knew he'd be furious at it.

 

He was right, however. If she accidentally struck him, he'd feel nothing.

 

 

Again, carefully studying one another, they waited.

 

Kahlei took the offensive this time. Taking an ataru stance, she sent multiple quick slashes towards him. He avoided them, then tried to land an attack on her shoulder. She pulled away in time, whirled around and struck at his back. He evaded her, changed to shiien and aimed for her arm. She managed to deflect the blow onto her left lightsaber but angled she blocked at was in his favour and he sent it flying out of her hand. She gripped the remaining one with both hands, shifting her weight to shii-cho. Scourge, still in a shiien stance, proceeded to send a powerful slash her way. She parried, locking their lightsabers together. He pushed out, trying to unbalance her. Kahlei opposed this and used the force to match his might.

 

_He's not even using the force to strengthen his attacks._

She frowned and quickly drew upon the force more. For a second, Scourge was caught off guard by the abrupt increase in her power but then used the force to rapidly increase his own.

 

Kahlei stumbled backwards, trying to stand her ground. Suddenly, she was then sent flying back into the wall by the power they'd both held as Scourge finally won their battle of strength. She could have sworn she heard a crunch.

 

She looked up at him, dazed.

 

Kahlei had always assumed they were near enough equals. If anything, that she was the slightly stronger one.

 

_He was holding back when I first fought him._

Her other crew members had assumed that she was stronger. As had the Council.

Had they all known she wasn't, she doubted they'd have ever trusted him. There was no way Kahlei could control him. If he chose to act against her, she now knew there was little she could do.

 

The only word she could muster was, "How?"

 

"Don't worry, Jedi. Very few would be able to defeat you quite that easily." He answered her next question before she could voice it. "I know when you leave yourself open. You move so quickly that it's difficult for your opponent to notice."

 

"But you did."

 

"I have 300 years of experience and have also had experience fighting alongside you. I doubt anyone else what have both those adavntages." He smirked. "You're not bad, especially considering you're a jedi. Had you been born sith, you'd be truly great.

 

Was that some form of compliment? Huh. That'd be the first then. "I'm fine as a jedi, thanks."

 

Slowly and rather painfully, she climbed to her feet and left for the refresher.

 

Kahlei felt a weight being left off her shoulders.. Even if she'd agreed to go along with the Council, she wouldn't have been able to force him over to the Empire. This had just proven it. There was no way he'd ever willingly oblige which meant that apart from either the Grand Master or half the Council going after him, taking out the weapon was the only option she had.

 

She smiled at herself in the mirror, finally feeling sure of herself. 

 

Her decision had been the most practical.

 

This was the right path.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ((This Chapter contains major Sith Warrior Storyline spoilers. You have been warned.))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's sad when people you know become people you knew." - Henry Rollins

"Soooooo, who're we waiting for?"

For a moment, Vette forgot that she wasn't speaking to the old Xaryia: the one who had almost been like a sister to her. Now she was truly with the incantation of the Emperor's Wrath. The angry look she received in return demonstrated that. She was very ...uh... 'wrathful' these days. Did she even care about anything other than being a good little sith for the Emperor?

Vette giggled and then instantly kicked herself for doing so.

_Good little sith? Haha. Can you even get good sith?_

Once, Vette had considered Xaryia to be a 'good sith'. But she'd been wrong. A switch had flipped in that sithy head of hers.

* * *

_"So, you ready to talk about it?"_

_"Talk about what?"_

_She sighed. "Xar, you always do this. You know what I'm on about."_

_"Don't call me that," the sith snapped. "It's Lord Wrath to you, slave."_

_Vette took a step back and bit her lip, worried that tears would start forming. They'd been through so much together! They'd known each other for like forever! They were practically sisters!_

_Her words had stung more than any other attack could. She prayed that this was a mood swing: that this wouldn't be permanent._

_What if it was? What if she was gone for good?_

_Xaryia narrowed her eyes. "I killed him."_

* * *

Through a little more persistence, Xar had revealed that her fiancée had sided with her old Master and had attempted to murder her. She didn't miss the opportunity to remind Vette of the penalty for traitors. Not that Vette would ever even consider betraying her.

And their friendship had gone further and further downhill. So far that it was almost off the hill. Almost.

Vette still had hope for Xar and the friendship between them. She knew that deep down, waaay past all of her Sithy bravado, there was a woman. A woman whose heart had been broken. And because she was sith, the pain and anger had resulted in severer consequences than with an ordinary person.

Was Vette the only one who truly understood the Emperor's Wrath? Most feared the title and nobody knew the woman behind it.

Xaryia used to be optimistic. She'd wanted to leave her mark on the Galaxy. She'd wanted to make the Empire truly great.

Now she was full of hatred. Anger. Nothing like the friendly, positive sith she used to know.

Vette had never approved of the majority of tasks Darth Fattso used to send Xaryia on. They always used to result in unnecessary violence.

But these days she found herself longing for those tasks. Sure, they usually killed several people - but not millions. Not like their latest quest.

As the Emperor's Wrath, it was Xaryia's job to cut down Sith who opposed the Empire. Their newest target was the ex-Wrath, who'd assisted the Jedi in killing the Emperor.

Somehow the mission had gone from catching one bad guy to involving millions of citizens.

Once she would have questioned Xaryia about going to great measures to get her target. Instead, she kept how revolted she was by it a secret. Blowing up Coruscant for a single person? That was beyond excessive. It was twisted.

However, she didn't think Xaryia really intended to do it. (She hoped, anyway). Unless the Sith didn't get what she wanted, of course. She'd made it loud and clear that she was fully prepared to go through with it if that happened.

Vette had asked if that meant Xaryia was unemployed now that the Emperor was dead. She'd been told that she was stupid for assuming a measly Jedi could kill the greatest entity in the galaxy. Vette took that as a 'No, I'm still in business because the Emperor isn't actually dead.'

So why did she stick around? Not that she had a choice now that Xaryia had brought back her shock collar as a lesson for the 'annoying remarks'. Since then she'd practiced holding her some of her hilarious comments in her head. Unfortunately, it didn't seem the Sith appreciated them anymore.

If she did have a choice, she'd have chosen to stay. Because if she didn't, nobody else would care about Xaryia. Her friend would truly be alone.

Vette broke away from her thoughts to glance around the cantina. Nar Shaddaa really did have some of the best cantinas in the galaxy. There were so many fun ways to get into trouble.

Not that Xaryia would permit that. But before she turned into psychotic sith mode, she and Vette would have visited every popular Cantina, drank more then they could pay for and partied every night until Darth Fattso tried to holocall. He'd scold his apprentice for wasting time and then it was back to doom and despair.

However, it was doom and despair every day. Without a break. Vette had hoped that Nar Shaada's bright lights and loud music would loosen the Sith up. Yet she remained as serious as ever.

Vette looked up to see the empty chair had already been filled by some chiss guy. How long had he been sitting there? They were already midway of some boring conversation about the super weapon. She must have seriously zoned out.

Xaryia had been contacting this bounty hunter a lot lately. Vette had noted that they seemed to be getting rather close. Maybe. She hoped. A relationship would probably be the best thing for Xaryia. Maybe it'd help to restore her to the person she once was? That was if she wasn't too far gone.

Jaesa and Pierce had both left their ship when Jaesa had become a Sith Lord. The only remaining crew members were herself and Broonmark. She wondered how Bronmark was holding up back at the ship. He hadn't been off it for some time and Vette was worried he'd go crazy (like Xaryia). Then she'd be the only sane crew member left.

It wasn't fair to leave him on the ship all the time, but it also wasn't fair to drag him round busy cities. He'd seemed okay about staying behind and had told them he'd "defend Sith's clan home." So, at least he had some sort of job. She frowned. What was her job? To follow Xaryia round? That was productive.

Vette turned her attention back to Xaryia and the mercenary. Apparently Xaryia had hired this guy to get the weapon from an Imperial laboratory and was instructing him on how to do it efficiently.

Great.A chat on how to kill millions of people. That was exactly what she wanted to listen to.

* * *

Kira studied the ship the Council had given her: a Defender class like the one Kahlei had. It was nice and all, but it wasn't home. Not like the other one had been.

"T7 + Kira = Rescue Kahlei?"

T7 was the only one who seemed okay. He just saw this as a rescue mission. Kira didn't think he was able to comprehend that the likelihood Kahlei would peacefully surrender was zero.

But she couldn't bring herself to ruin his optimism.

"Heh, something like that."

T7 whirred for a moment, computing his task. Now it'd been confirmed, the astromech droid would stop at nothing to get Kahlei back.

If only she shared his confidence.

If it came to violence, Kira doubted she'd have a chance against Kahlei. Or Scourge. Definitely not both of them. There was the rest of the crew, of course, but she was the only force user. Their biggest advantage would be Kahlei's reluctance to fight back, in fear of hurting someone. As for Scourge? Kira knew he wouldn't care about that. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. And that really wasn't very far.

Sergeant Rusk was sitting by their intercom, complete with a glass of Corellian whisky in his hand. He didn't seem to be taking the situation very well at all; the grim expression on his face told her that much. Having to go against a superior must have been difficult, considering his military background. Never mind one he had looked up to and had idealised. Kira wanted to say something to comfort him, but she didn't know what to say to him. She wasn't great at that sort of thing, especially not when she felt even worse herself.

As Kira made her way to inspect the downstairs of the ship, she noticed Doc already busy setting up the med bay. That really wasn't like him. Normally it was a challenge to get him to organise it. Obviously he was as bothered as herself and Rusk.

"Hey, Doc."

Startled, he jumped and dropped something that had been in his hands. The glass syringe full off kolto shattered on the floor. Doc swore and proceeded to tidy it up.

"Don't creep up on me like that." He turned round to face her after he'd finished cleaning up. "What do you want?"

Kira and Doc had never seen eye to eye, but there wasn't anyone else she could talk to. "I... Ican't believe she actually did it."

"And I can't believe she ran off with that Sith fella." Doc scowled. "What's he got that I haven't? Except a light saber."

Doc's interest in Kahlei had been anything but a secret. After she'd turned down every single advance he'd made, he had given up. Kira could feel disappointment radiating from him, with a slight tinge of jealousy. He was completely over Kahlei, but Kira guessed he was just ticked off by the fact that she'd chosen a Sith over hadn't, though. But that was the way Doc saw it.

"You know it's not like that."

"She threw away everything for a friend?"

Kira shrugged. "Yeah."

"But that doesn't sound like she's a fallen jedi."

"She hasn't. She's just determined to make sure nobody gets hurt - including Scourge."

Doc frowned and shook his head. "Isn't that what your jedi teachings are? I thought you all believed that nobody should get hurt."

"If she carries on, she'll piss off Wrath and then that'll be the end of Coruscant. Kahlei is taking this huge risk to save one  _Sith_. We need to have a chat with her and get her to realise her mistake. Simple." Kira watched him carefully, realising this was the first time he'd heard why the Order were against Kahlei's plan. She face palmed. "Weren't you even listening to Master Satele was saying?"

"Your Jedi parties are boring."

She knew Kahlei would have agreed with that.

Kira sighed. She'd relied on her old Master way too much. They all had. Coping without her would be anything but easy.

"If it's so simple then why are you so bothered?"

"Oh, hm, I don't know. Maybe because the Council want me to track down my best friend? Because they expect me to use brute force if she won't give in?" She regretted the tone she'd used as soon as the words tumbled out. After all, Doc was only trying to help. "Sorry."

"None of us want to do that."

"But all that life that could be lost." How far would she have to go to stop Kahlei? What if she had to resort to killing her? Would  **she**  sacrifice a friend?

"Yeah."

She supposed that she'd have to roll with it and pray for the best. Hopefully this would end well.

"I can think of ways to take your mind of it, Gorgeous." Doc winked.

Great. Doc hitting on her was exactly what she needed. He could be such a sleaze at times. And of course, it had to be when she was starting to think she could actually get along with him.

Kira mustered up as much sass as she could. "Urgh. No. Just no."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself."  
> \- Coco Chanel

"This is Jedi Master Kahlei Halin to Makeb Orbital Station. Do you copy?" No answer. "Hello?" She needed them to allow her to dock her ship. "Anyone there?" Weird. They obviously weren't just being rude. She continued her babbling, just in case there was somebody there.

"It seems that we'll have to land on the planet's surface, Jedi."

Kahlei grit her teeth. Last time she'd been here, she and Scourge had taken a shuttle with a pilot who had been trained to fly in Makeb's atmosphere. And that had been a close one. With her piloting they didn't stand a chance.

Scourge sensed her worry. "Move." She obliged and let him take the captain's seat. Kahlei strapped herself into the nearby seat, hoping he'd had a lot of practice at flying in undesirable conditions.

Without warning, the ship began to rapidly accelerate down towards Makeb. Lightning flashed all around them as they battled against the storms. They turned and twisted, trying to evade the wind. She squeezed her eyes shut. Sure, she'd done some pretty reckless things in her life. But this? This was a whole new level of scary. The Hero of Tython losing her life to the weather? Well, that certainly would have been a lacklustre ending to the otherwise thrilling story of her life. She'd always thought that if she were to die young, she'd go out with a bang. It seemed that the only bang would be the sound of the starship exploding.

The roar of the engines began to die down. She finally realised they were stationary and reopened her eyes.

And then she saw the awful sight that lay before her.

"This... this is Makeb?"

The once green planet had been turned into a barren wasteland and the blue sky was filled with pollution. She had heard that Makeb was currently uninhabitable, but she had assumed that it was on the road to recovery. This was not what she'd expected to see.

So that was why she'd been unable to contact the Orbital Station: Makeb had been destroyed and the Republic had left.

"The atmosphere appears to be toxic. You will need to shield yourself from its effects with the force." She guessed his curse meant he'd be unaffected by it.

Standing on the planet was far worse than just looking at it. From the window it was a horrific painting, but now it had become a horrific reality. There was just nothingness as far as she could see. No plant or creature could withstand the contamination in the air. On her last visit, the wildlife had been thriving and she was able feel with so much through the force. But the planet was dead.

Scourge remained silent, allowing her to consider her surroundings. He was patient: especially for a sith. Waiting for her for three hundred years had been the ultimate test. His patience could have rivalled that of one of those stern, traditional Jedi Masters. He would have taken that as an insult, however.

"I suggest we infiltrate the isotope - 5 mine without alerting Wrath."

Absentmindedly she nodded, still taken aback by the devastation. Scourge, too, took a few moments to properly observe the landscape. "This is how the galaxy would have been had you not stopped the Emperor."

"The planet that you told me about... the one that the he destroyed, is this what it's like?"

"This emptiness? Perhaps. Though there is no life left here, you can still feel the force around you. On Nathema, even the force is gone. He devoured everything."

Having discovered her force sensitivity at a very young age, Kahlei couldn't imagine not feeling the force around her. She'd have felt blind and isolated without it.

"You will need to disguise yourself as sith." Scourge pulled up the hood of the dark robes that hung over his armour. "I can sense an outpost not too far ahead. Remain here."

Not that she had anywhere else to go.

Kahlei opted for making herself comfy back on her ship whilst she awaited his return. Staring out at the planet was depressing. She'd settled down with a hot drink and was about to browse the holonet for something to watch when her holocom started to beep. Sighing, she pulled it out of her pocket and was about to greet Scourge with a snarky comment until she realised that actually, it wasn't him. It was Kira.

For a moment, her hand wavered above the answer button. Then she stopped herself. If she answered, Kira and the others would guilt trip her into letting them join her. And there was always the possibility that the Council could have turned Kira against her and was calling her to track her location.

No. She was being paranoid. The Council wouldn't stoop that low. And even if they had, Kira wouldn't have allowed herself to be manipulated so easily.

Is that what she'd resorted to? Distrusting the Council?

She hadn't wanted to turn away from the Council forever: she'd only had a minor disagreement with them. One that would be resolved when she was successful and the Order realised their mistake.

But now that she no longer felt bound to them, she was beginning to question them more and more.

If they allowed her to return, would she even want that?

Kahlei rolled her eyes at herself. Of course she would. She was a Jedi and always would be. Stress was playing with her mind.

She needed to stop wasting time and do something productive...

...Like catching up on some of her favourite series.

* * *

Her holocom went off: Kira was trying to contact her. Again.

Once more, she rejected the call. If only it would actually turn off. Whenever she thought it was finally off, it somehow managed to turn itself on again. Kahlei was contemplating throwing it on to the dry soil and stamping all over it. But a tantrum like that would only serve to amuse her Sith companion.

She hated technology. It never seemed to do what she wanted it to do. Kira had always been the techy one. She did feel bad about ignoring Kira. Her friend had called so many times since she had been waiting for Scourge on the ship that it was obvious that she was desperate to speak to her. Kahlei also would have liked to talk, but something in her gut warned her not to.

Turning her head to glance at the Sith walking beside her, she realised he was smirking.

_Damn it._

She'd thought she had been successfully hiding the turmoil inside her head, but obviously there was no hiding her emotions from him.

Pushing back the hood of the robes he'd forced her to wear, she gave him her fiercest scowl.

Scourge chuckled. "You make a very convincing Sith. You should consider a career change."

She could have smacked herself for walking straight into that one. Although his 'attempts' to turn her to the Dark Side weren't serious. It was more of a game. A game to see how true to the Light she was.

He'd also won another squabble they'd previously had: the one where she'd said he wouldn't catch her dead in heavy armour. But here she was, clad head to toe in ridiculously bulky sith armour. Scourge had claimed that it was all he could find at the Imperial outpost, but she wasn't so sure. 'Proper armour', he called it. He said he'd be displeased if she died from a stupid blaster wound just because she failed to equip herself for battle. Huh. Was he finally starting to warm up to her?

Kahlei hoped she wouldn't have to fight in her current state. She tended to use an ataru combat style: full of fast strikes and acrobatics. That'd be impossible with her current attire. Knowing her luck, she'd have to wrestle a planet full of Imperials and would then have a stubborn Sith to fight at the end of her travels.

So all in all, she guessed he'd be feeling very smug if he could. Or maybe he could feel that? She wasn't exactly sure. Maybe he was able to experience very tiny bits of emotion? Or did he simply remember what they felt like?

Something in her pocket began to beep. Luckily (for her Holocom) it was the datapad, telling them they were reaching the coordinates that Scourge had obtained from the Imperials.

If he hadn't been Sith, they wouldn't have managed to make it to the mine with any form of secrecy. It would have meant barging into the Outpost, demanding information and a Shuttle to the mesa it was situated on. Then there would have been a high chance Wrath would have discovered what they'd been up to.

As they started to walk along the catwalks, they were greeted by several guards. They were dressed head to toe in black and red trooper armour, complete with the Imperial badge on their shoulders. The leader stepped forwards. He was the only one without a helmet on.

"With all due respect, my lords, we are under strict orders from Darth Marr to forbid anyone without authorisation from entering."

Scourge lifted his hand to choke the man, snarling. "My orders come from above Darth Marr."

Kahlei just managed to resist the urge to stop him. This was wrong. But not stopping Wrath was even more wrong.

Now she sounded like the Council: one life for the greater good.

Fortunately, he had the sense to surrender. "I... I... of course, my Lords." Scourge let him go. The guard readjusted his collar and gave them his finest bow.

To be constantly living in fear of the Sith... Is that what it meant to be an Imperial? The Republic despised all of the Empire, but Kahlei doubted the majority knew what the citizens were really like. They were just normal people who were ruled by fear.

"Take me to the man in charge."

He straightened: the Imperial version of a salute. "At once, my Lord."

They followed the guard along the lower catwalks and to an elevator. It appeared to have been hastily built and didn't look at all sturdy. Kahlei hesitantly stepped onto to.

She'd been expecting the office to have been higher up and far more polished: a contrast to the actual mining facility. The Imperials usually spent a load of money making places like this shiny. But it was dull.

So this must have been where the Hutt Cartel had been mining isotope - 5 from the planet's core until the planet was on the brink of destruction. The Imperials had found a way to stabilise the core and were continuing to mine the substance.

Kahlei couldn't believe that they'd done all this right under the Republic's noses. They'd been doing this whilst they had all been busy saving the citizens. For the Imperials to have unlimited access...

_They could win the war with isotope - 5. Then the entire galaxy would be ruled by fear._

Maybe the SIS did know, though. Maybe they'd kept it secret to avoid causing panic. Regardless, she already had her hands full.

Even though his room was not, this man was exactly how she'd imagined: creaseless uniform, slicked back hair and an irritating nasal voice.

He was about to protest until the security guard next to them waved his hands to stop him. The way he opened and closed his jaw reminded Kahlei of a fish. After settling on an appropriate way to welcome the two sith lords before him, he lowered his head. "Greetings, my Lords. It's an honour for you to be visiting our humble mine. How can I best serve you both?"

She decided she'd let Scourge do all the talking, since he seemed to have had a lot of practice at intimidating Imperials.

"My Master has ordered me to investigate a particular matter: a matter that is none of your business. You will give me the coordinates of your isotope 5 labs." The 'or else' was implied by the menacing look that he flashed beneath the hood.

The gentleman bowed. This constant bowing was beginning to grate on her. Didn't Imperials get back problems from it? "Yes, my Lord." She had to give him some credit, though. Two Sith Lords had just barged into his office, demanding information, yet he remained completely calm. "Now, we actually have two laboratories that we supply our Isotope 5 to: one on Hoth and one on Tatooine." Urgh. Why had they chosen such horrible planets? "Which would you prefer?"

"Both."

"Of course, my Lord." And the whole 'Lord' this, 'Lord' that thing was just as anoyying. But she guessed it was how one survived as a non force sensitive in a Sith World. "I, uh.." He swallowed and bowed again. "Forgive me, but I have to request that some form of identification before you leave. Darth Marr has demanded I reinforce the policy. And nobody is an exception to the rule."

Worried that her companion would do some serious damage to this man, she stepped in. "But we've already given you our ID."

"You've already given me your ID."

The guard gawked, noticing the Jedi mind trick. She'd have to sort him out in a minute.

"Well, if that's everything my Lords, I can only wish you the very best in your travels." Another bow. He gestured to the man beside them. "My security officer will see you out."

The guard remained silent as he lead them back through the mine. Kahlei could feel his growing suspicion and could imagine what was going through his head. A real sith would have resorted to violence to ensure cooperation - not a mind trick.

When they approached the edge of the catwalks, she turned to him. "You will not remember anything strange about us."

"I don't remember anything strange about you. Huh, for a moment I almost thought you used a jedi trick on the Chief. I guess I'm just imagining things in my old age." He scratched his head. "Do you need anything else, my Lord?"

"A shuttle."

* * *

"Mind control, hm, Jedi?" Scourge questioned her once they were back into hyperspace. "Isn't it fun to assert your power over others?"

This again. "I do what is necessary to ensure a peaceful outcome." She quoted what an old teacher had said to her.

"Pathetic."

Kahlei shrugged. "So, Hoth first?"

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kira's eyes flashed opened.
> 
> Her Old Master had refused to answer her holocom so she'd had to resort to an alternative method: meditation.
> 
> And this time, she'd been successful.
> 
> Hoth.

 

 

 

Kahlei supposed they'd have looked strange to passers by. Her boots crunched into the snow, leaving footprints behind her. They were hardly equipped for the cold environment, but they were force users. Those who could wield the force were equipped for everything.

Having said that, she wasn't too sure how much longer she could keep regulating her body temperature. It required so much concentration and Kahlei was used to channelling the force in battle, not for tasks like this.

It would have been the perfect time to be unable to feel anything. If she'd have said her thoughts aloud, Scourge would have told her that she didn't understand the gravity of his situation. And that she wasn't taking it seriously.

"I know this is meant to be top secret, but did they really have to build it so far out?"

"Hm."

When Scourge was chatty, he could be really chatty. But when he wasn't, it was nearly impossible to break the silence.

It had been okay until the speeder broke down. Then, her data pad had lost signal. Now they were on foot, walking round and round in circles. The lab was apparently somewhere deep in the mountains but those mountains didn't seem to be getting any closer.

"So, what was your childhood like?"

Scourge frowned. "Why do you ask?" He always got so defensive when she asked questions like that. Was he really not used to just having a chat with someone who didn't have a hidden agenda?

"Just wondering. I'd imagine Sith and Jedi children have completely different upbringings."

"My childhood was virtually the same as it would have been had I been born in this century. Sith don't change. The Sith Academy is where one is shaped into a Sith. It is where the strong are separated from the weak."

"You know, you have to give the weak a chance to become strong."

"That is what the Academy does. If one misses his opportunity to seize power, then they will always be weak. You cannot nurture weakness: it is against nature. Nature encourages evolution and so it is wrong to oppose it. The weak die out and then the weakest of the strong will, too. Then you will be left with truly the strongest. This is how you breed true strength." How had he managed to turn it from a casual chitchat to a philosophical debate?

"If you help the weak become strong, then you will have more people with strength."

"Then the strong will not be pushed to become the strongest they could possibly be."

"Is it really a good thing to try to be the strongest? I mean, look what the Emperor tried to do in order to become the strongest."

Scourge thought for a moment. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps it is wrong to encourage people to do anything to gain unlimited power. However, that doesn't mean that nurturing the weak is right."

"You do realise that we don't let just anyone become a Jedi? You do have to prove that you are capable."

"Your petty trials are nothing in comparison to what our acolytes experience. Failure is a matter a death-" Scourge stopped. He lowered his voice. "We are being followed, Jedi."

Kahlei hadn't noticed. She'd been devoting much of her attention to their debate and the remainder to nullifying the effect of the cold. "Can you tell who it is?"

"No, they are too far away for me to be able to recognise them. This group have been following our path." He paused. "They are moving faster than we are - most likely on speeders."

"How've they managed to follow us? The wind'll have blown away any tracks."

"Then they must be able to detect us in the same way I sensed them."

Kahlei bit her lip. Had the Order sent a group of Jedi after them? She shuddered, and not from the cold. Would she have to fight them? "They'll catch up to us."

"Indeed. I cannot tell if they are Sith or Jedi. You will need to prepare yourself for both possibilities."

They continued to hike through the snow, awaiting the inevitable. Kahlei pushed herself and tried to reach out through the force whilst also shielding herself. These skills were some of her weakest areas and using them was taxing. She could feel herself growing more and more exhausted.

She remembered that she needed to reserve her strength for the possible battle that lay ahead. So, instead she went back to concentrating on protecting her body. She minimised the effort she was putting into it until she was cold, but not freezing.

"Kahlei..." Was that the first time he'd ever called her by name? She looked up at him in confusion. "...it is Kira and the rest of them."

Her eyes widened. She'd just managed to mentally prepare herself fight to Jedi - even ones she knew well. But not Kira. Not Doc. Not Rusk. Not T7.

Scourge placed his hands on her arms. "If you wish for it, I can handle this." She blinked at him. Was Scourge being sympathetic? "You will be unable to do what needs to be done." Eh, no, back to his usual self.

"I won't let you hurt any of them, Scourge."

"Even if they are willing to hurt you? Would you not do the same?"

"No."

He narrowed his eyes and fell back to walking beside her. "Very well. I won't interfere: even if you need me to." It was almost a threat.

* * *

"Kahlei!"

She could hear the hum of speeders as they drew closer and closer.

"Kahlei!"

The engines turned off. She felt hands grip her shoulders as they tried to turn her around. Kahlei found herself eye to eye with Kira. The other crewmates remained silent, watching the scene unfold before them.

"What the hell are you doing?" The hands shook her. "You need to snap out of this!"

She roughly brushed Kira off. "I don't need to snap out of anything."

Kira glowered at Scourge who stood behind Kahlei. "Why are you letting him manipulate you like this?"

"Why are you letting the Council manipulate you?"

"The  _Council_ manipulating people? Can you even hear yourself?"

"I'm doing this to save the Republic."

"No, you're doing this to save him. At the cost of Coruscant."

Kahlei cupped her forhead in the palm of her hand, sighing. "You know I'd do this for any of you. I  _have_ done this for Rusk."

Rusk nodded, remembering when she'd gone back to save him and allowed the Emperor time to gather his strength.

"This is different."

"How is it different?"

"Kahlei, he's a  _sith_. Plus you turned away from the Order."

"The Order is wrong."

"You're wrong!" Kira then frowned, finally noticing Kahlei's sith disguise. "What the hell you wearing?"

They were to the point of screaming at each other, now. Doc stepped in. "Look, Kah, it doesn't sound like the Order are angry at you - if that's why you don't want to come back."

"That's not why I don't want to come back. I don't want to because they want me to sacrifice a friend when Wrath will probably just go ahead and use the weapon, anyway." Kahlei turned back to Kira. "If it had been Doc, Rusk or T7, we wouldn't be having this argument. How are we to create peace in this galaxy if Jedi and the rest of the Order are too stubborn accept a Sith?"

"That's wrong. We accepted Praven."

"Officially, yes. But I know they don't trust him, although he's truly dedicated to the light. And they never will. Why? Because he was a sith. And he still looks like a sith. But he can't change the fact that he's a pure blooded sith."

"Yeah, I'm not saying that there aren't a few that don't but the majority do accept him."

"No, that's just what they all say. But deep down, I know they don't." Kahlei waved her hand dismissively and turned her back to her.

"Kahlei!"

She chose to ignore her and began to walk away.

"T7 + Kahlei ¹ Friends?"

She carried on walking. Scourge followed.

"I... I can't let you leave."

Kahlei glanced over her shoulder at Kira. "Then what are you doing to do?"

Kira shut her eyes. She reopened them in sync with her double bladed lightsaber igniting. "I will do what I must."

In reply, Kahlei lit both of hers. "So will I."

Kahlei leapt at Kira, striking with both her weapons. Kira blocked with one side and quickly moved the other side to slash at her leg. Kahlei's leap turned into a somersault as she evaded the attack. She landed and wasted no time in proceeding to spin round, slashing widely. Kira deflected it and swivelled her lightsaber around to hit. She missed. Kahlei sent a series of rapid attacks, forcing Kira into a defensive position. Her next attack was faster than Kira was able to parry.

Kahlei stopped her lightsaber centimetres short of Kira's neck. They stared at each other. She switched both of hers off and returned them to her belt. She then turned away and left.

* * *

She had been expecting him to have questioned her on the confrontation with Kira, but surprisingly he did not. Instead, the continued their journey in near silence whilst Kahlei was wrapped up in her thoughts.

The Council had convinced Kira that what Kahlei was doing was evil. Somehow they'd also managed to force Kira to strike her down if she wouldn't agree to their plan.

Why had Kira let them control her so easily?

She'd always thought Kira had her own mind, complete with a strong personality. But now it seemed that it had been an illusion, that Kira was weak willed.

Further ahead, Kahlei noticed a metal bunker built into the side of the mountain: one that was typical of the Imperials. "There."

She pulled up her hood and together they marched into the place they'd find answers.

"My Lords." There was a sole guard standing outside the complex. The security here was much lower than at the mine. But even with coordinates, it was a nightmare to find it. They probably had very few visitors. Kahlei stormed over to him.

"You will take us to where you develop your weapons. Now." She didn't need to look at Scourge to know that he was smirking at her assertiveness.

"Right away."

She couldn't but find it amusing how the Imperials bowed down to the Sith so willingly. Not that she found it fun, she added. Was she turning into a person that she'd always tried not to be? The sort of person the Council feared in their Order?

No, she told herself. She was simply free to become the person that she wished to, and that person wasn't dark: they just weren't blinded by the light.

Men and women in white lab coats were running about. She noticed how there were very few non humans, apart from a handful of chiss. Had this been a Republic facility, there would have been just as many aliens as humans.

The guard stopped at a department that was filled with lasers, bombs and others things she couldn't recognise. "What is it that you are looking for?"

"The Isotope 5 project."

"Oh dear, you should have said so earlier." She frowned at him. "We moved the weapon for testing on Tatooine a few months ago."

They were testing that thing? On Tatooine?

"It's not an actual trial run or anything, I think one of the technicians said it was to check for any minor errors." He gestured to a an older looking woman to come and speak to them. "Doctor Loretta was one of the engineers working on this project."

She glanced at them both. "What can I do for you?"

"We came here about an isotope 5 prototype. Tell me about it."

"It's a weapon that we've designed, using that substance. We tried to recreate the effects it had on Makeb, but with a small amount of it in a much shorter time. Basically we believed that using small, but incredibly powerful electromagnets would help to amplify its effect - as well as various other details. And we were right." Loretta paused, readjusting the safety goggles on the bridge of her nose.

"The device is like a bomb. It's portable so you could easily plant it. Then you would get into a ship orbiting your target and press a remote button. The button activates the magnets and the process starts. The isotope 5 will attack the planet's existing gravitational field and this conflict will cause the core to be torn apart.

"Unfortunately, we're a long way from finalising it, but I'm pleased to see support from you Sith. This weapon could truly mean victory for our Empire."

This woman was insane.

"I would very much like to see this device myself."

"I know, it's really exciting. But we transferred it to Tatooine so you'll have to go there to see it."

"Fine."

"I'm so happy you're eager to be part of this project!"

This weapon was too dangerous to allow. She had to destroy it as soon as possible.

* * *

The journey back to the ship was not as awful as the journey there. The Imperials had given them speeders and had restocked their supplies. They were halfway then until Kahlei decided that they should call it a night and so they took shelter in a cave.

She had lit a campfire so that she could have a break from shielding herself from the cold. It was impossible for her to sleep whilst concentrating on that.

"Lay here with me, Jedi."

Kahlei sat up and raised her eyebrows. If that had been Doc, that would have been a totally unsmooth attempt to get her in his bed. But this was Scourge. What was he up to?

"Uh..."

From across the fire, she could see Scourge propping himself up on his elbow. He rolled his eyes. "You're shivering. You won't sleep like that." Did he care about her or something? "If you don't sleep, you'll slow me down." Ah. That was more like him. "If you come here then my body temperature will warm you."

He had a point. Awkwardly, she moved over to lay beside him.

Before she fell asleep, she remembered thinking how safe she felt curled up in his arms.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."  
> \- Mark Twain

Sand, sand and more sand.

After travelling in the cold, she'd been more eager to visit Tatooine. Sort of. More so than Hoth, anyway. Now that she was here, she longed for anything but the constant sun and sand. She eyed a stray, peculiar looking plant. How did anything manage to live out here?

At least she'd have a hell of a tan at the end of this trip. She frowned. Were pure blood sith able to tan? Did their red skin turn a few shades darker? Or even if they could, would Scourge be unable to because his skin would quickly repair itself? That'd have sucked. If it were her, she'd be doomed to an existence of being pasty white.

"So, what're your parents like, Scourge?"

"Dead." Oh yeah, the three hundred year thing.

"What were they like?"

"Sith."

"Somehow I imagined."

"What are your parents like?"

"Dead."

"What were they like?"

"Jedi."

What a thriving conversation.

"I thought Jedi practiced celibacy?"

"Not all Jedi. As long as you don't form attachments you're not breaking any rules."

"Is that what you tell yourself when you give in to your desires?"

"No. I'm celibate."

"Liar."

Oh, so some smart mouthed red head had been blabbing about her last trip to Coruscant's cantinas. Great. "Okay, maybe there was that one time."

"One time? I heard this was a regular occurrence."

"Hey," Kahlei frowned. "Are you calling me a slut?"

Scourge chuckled. She took that as a yes. "So, have you never met your parents, Jedi?"

"No, I grew up with my parents," Kahlei said. "They left the Order to be together and allowed the Council to block their connection to the force. As soon as they discovered my force sensitivity, they sent me to train as a Jedi."

"I suppose disobeying the Order runs in the family."

"No, this is different. I'm not breaking any teachings."

She awaited some form of an offensive comment but got none. Instead, Scourge's speeder came to a stop. He collapsed by the edge of the road, head in his hands. What was going on? Kahlei rushed over to him.

"I feel strange. I'm not in pain nor do I feel faint, but something is wrong with me."

Kahlei opened her mouth to make a comment about how a 'lot of things were wrong with him' and then snapped it shut, noticing how serious he looked. "Uh, you okay?"

"Are you deaf? I just said I wasn't."

"Hey, I was just trying to be nice," she said. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. It's nothing. Let us continue." Scourge climbed to his feet.

"You sure that's a good idea?" His reply was to involuntarily lose his balance and fall to the floor. "Scourge?" Kahlei patted his cheeks. She'd have made it more of a slap, but didn't, in case this was something serious. He was out cold.

Great. She couldn't leave him here whilst she tried to find help yet she also couldn't carry him.

In the end, she settled for creatively tying rope around him to attach him to her speeder. She hoped he wouldn't wake up until she untied him from it. If he did, he'd have killed her.

* * *

Kahlei was worried for Scourge. He'd been unconscious for hours while she'd been driving around. Fortunately, she'd found a moisture farm all the way out here. As she knocked on the door, she prayed that this would just be a family of settlers and nobody hostile.

A young girl with her hair in bunches, maybe a little younger than 10, answered. She gaped at Kahlei in amazement. "Dad! Dad! Come quick! It's a Jedi!"

"I'm sure it is, sweetie," she heard from inside the building. A middle aged man appeared at the door. He noticed Kahlei's clothing and took a similar expression to his daughter. "Wow. You're... you're actually a jedi!"

"Uh, yeah, I am." Signalling to Scourge atop her speeder, she could feel fear seeping out of them. "I was wondering if you could help my friend."

"But he's a ... a sith!"

"Uhm, kind of. It's complicated." Upon hearing the word 'sith', another girl had appeared at the door. She appeared to be in her mid to late teens. The three of them looked equally petrified. If they refused to help her, she'd have to find someone else. But other people could be miles and miles away By then, it could be too late to save Scourge from whatever had happened to him. Kahlei dropped to her knees and placed a hand over her heart. "Please." She could feel tears forming. "Please help us."

The man scratched his chin. It wasn't everyday a jedi knocked on your door and begged you to save a sith friend. He sighed. "Fine. Bring him in."

She released the knots that held Scourge onto her speeder and tried to drag him into the house. Kahlei knew he was one hell of a muscular guy, but she suspected the armour made him weigh twice as much. Why did he have to wear that much of it? The man, apparently called Jaron, had to help her in lifting him. Between them, they managed to hurl him onto a bed.

"I don't know what happened. He just collapsed."

"Any symptoms?"

"No. He's never ill, either. That's why I'm so worried," she explained. Kahlei glanced around at all the equipment he had in the room. "Hey, are you like a medical doctor or something?" Had the force lead her here?

"I'm not, but I'm a microbiologist with considerable training in human biology." He glanced down at the pure blood. "And he, eh, looks slightly human."

Whilst Jaron was inspecting Scourge, Kahlei sat in their front room with the youngest daughter, Missa. The eldest was named Aily.

"So, what's your family doing all the way out here?"

"Dad's doing some sciencey research or somethin'." She tapped away on her datapad.

"He wants to find the cure to the disease mum had," Aily interjected, passing Kahlei a drink. "Not that it's going to bring her back."

"But we're boring." Missa looked up at Kahlei, her eyes gleaming. "Tell me what you Jedi do!"

Kahlei recounted some of her most impressive tales to them both: from how she'd defeated Angral and finally, how she'd defeated the Emperor. They both stared at her, awestruck.

"Whoah. You're real life hero!"

"You actually killing the Emperor?" Aily asked.

Her life had really been one crazy roller coaster. She just hadn't realised how wild until then.

She was about to tell them about Makeb, when the door to the room Scourge was in flew open.

"This man... he should be dead."

Kahlei shook her head in disbelief. What did he mean Scourge should be dead?

Jaron threw the datapad in her face. She stared at the strange symbols. "Um, I don't get it."

"He has a womprat fever but the most vicious and concentrated strain I have ever seen." Oh yeah, he had been bitten. They'd both dismissed it, however, since he was usually unaffected by stuff like that.

"So, he just has a fever?" Thank the force. She'd thought it'd be linked to his curse somehow. To know that it wasn't and that it was something normal was a huge relief.

"No, not just any fever. That man should be dead from it."

"He's uhhh... special." She supposed it must have been really nasty for even Scourge to get ill.

"I know that, Jedi. He has 10 times the amount of antibodies fighting the bacteria than the highest I've ever seen in any species."

"Yeah, uh, so he's kind of immortal." She face palmed. They all looked completely flabbergasted. She should have just told them it was all his sithiness. "The Emperor made him immortal."

"But you killed the Emperor-"

"You killed the Emperor?!"

Yeah. Going for the sith excuse would have been a better idea.

* * *

Kahlei had been perched on the edge of Scourge's bed when he began to stir. Instinctively, he went to grab his lightsaber. After he realised it wasn't there, he gripped her hand, instead.

"Where are we, Jedi?"

"Hey, relax, it's safe here."

Scourge wasn't convinced. He threw the blanket off him and went to stand up. Kahlei pushed him back.

Then she realised her mistake.

He was undressed, save for the pants he wore under his armour. And she couldn't stop the way her hands were lingering on him. Or the thoughts of pinning him down and exploring the rest of him. She wondered where else she'd find the small line of triangles that lay upon his chest.

Scourge was smirking.

Kahlei snatched her hands away, blushing a similar hue to his skin.  _Damn it._

"Why are you ashamed of your feelings?" She stared at the floor, anywhere but him. Using his index finger, he pulled her chin towards him. "What are you afraid of?"

"Nothing."

He sighed. "You don't realise how fortunate you are, Jedi. I would give anything to feel such emotions again." He let her face go, Kahlei remained sat cross legged on the bed. "But even if you wished me to, I couldn't give you what you desire."

There was no denying her attraction to him. Had she always had a soft spot for him? Is that why she'd been so horrified by the Council's decision? Would she have really done the same for any of her friends? Or was he an exception?

So what was she afraid of? It wasn't like she hadn't given in to her passion before. No, this was different. Scourge was different. He wasn't just some stranger she'd met in a cantina. Even if she tried not to, she would form an attachment to him. And then she would have broken her teachings.

Kahlei pulled herself away. And not only would she have broken them, she would have broken them with a  _Sith._ These feelings were wrong. They would lead her into darkness.

And what scared her was not falling to the dark side, but the fact that he wasn't scared of doing so. She bit her lip. This was bad.

They were interrupted as Missa barged into the room. "Kahlei! Kahlei!" Tears were rolling down her face. "They... they took dad!"

Kahlei knelt so that she was eye level with Missa and rested her hands on her shoulder. "What happened? Who took him?"

"The Twin Suns men took him away!"

"Missa, it's okay. I'll save your father."

"Jedi," Scourge said. "We don't have time for this."

"That man helped save you."

"It's not like I can die," Scourge retorted.

"You would have been unconscious for weeks if he hadn't helped you recover. Then we definitely wouldn't have had time."

"I'm not the one that cares about Coruscant's fate, anyway." He started to get out of bed.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"To assist you."

"No. You need to rest. You'd just slow me down." Using his own logic against him usually worked.

"I'm fine."

"Well, just in case you're not a hundred percent, I think you should stay here."

"Do you mock me? You think I'm weak?"

Oops. Somehow she'd managed to wound his sithy pride. "Eh, no, you're strong. Waay stronger than me." Well, that came out much less sincere than it had sounded in her head.

Scourge thought for a moment, and to Kahlei's relief, seemed content with her answer as he lay back down. "Fine, Jedi. Go. But this insistence on saving those who are to weak to save themselves will one day kill you."

"Whatever."

Kahlei left and took her speeder, trying to sense any other sentient beings out here in Jundland through the force. She eventually felt a nearby cluster of people and set course for that location.

It was a small village, filled with little round houses and thugs who didn't even ask what she was doing before they started shooting at her. She fought her way through the blaster fire and soon came to a slightly larger building, filled with prisoners who were to be shipped offworld and sold as slaves.

But Kahlei couldn't see Jaron amongst the freed prisoners. Many of them threw their arms around her, in tears.

_This is why I became a Jedi._

She frowned, thinking back to Scourge's comment. Maybe this would be the death of her. But Kahlei didn't care. To see how much suffering she prevented was well worth the risk. He'd never understand that.

"They beat him up and dragged him to work in the mine," a woman said after Kahlei had been asking about a man matching Jaron's description.

"Do you know where this mine is?"

"I think it's just a little further south from here."

She thanked the her and continued her search for Jaron. The woman had been right, it wasn't too far south from where the other prisoners had been. Kahlei stormed the Twin Suns territory, freeing those she could along the way. Half way through the base, she managed to find Jaron in a forced labour camp.

He was badly bruised and could barely recognise her. "Jedi?"

"Yeah, it's me, Kahlei." She helped him onto her speeder. "Why did they do this to you?"

"They come every month, asking for their payment. But we have little money and I couldn't pay them."

"Their payment?"

"They say that we're on their land and they protect us - that's why we have to pay them."

Kahlei frowned. She'd caused havoc in the Twin Suns headquarters, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try something like this again. And next time, she wouldn't be here to help.

Scourge's words continued to gnaw on her mind. Had this been all for nothing? If she'd have died rescuing Jaron, would her death have been in vain?

She shook her head. Saving lives meant everything. The Sith was getting to her. But more importantly, was it intentional?

No. She had been spending so much time with him recently, that some of his sithiness was starting to rub off on her. Kahlei just had to resist them.

And who knew? Maybe her Jedi beliefs were starting to get to him, too?

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This is a slightly shorter chapter, as was originally meant to be with the previous chapter but I felt it'd be better to separate them.
> 
> This chapter contains Sith Inquisitor Storyline spoilers.))
> 
>  
> 
> "Sometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all."
> 
> \- Lawrence Hill, Someone Knows My Name

 

 

 

Kahlei and Scourge had waved goodbye to their newfound friends (well, maybe not Scourge's) at noon the following day and were now continuing their trek across the deserts of Tatooine in hope of finding the lab they were looking for.

"What do you plan on doing with the rest of your life?" Kahlei asked Scourge, hoping to restart an interesting conversation.

"What I have is merely an existence. You cannot call it a life."

"Eh, so what do will you do while existing?"

"I have decided to accompany you until you die."

"And then when I'm gone?"

Scourge paused. Apparently he hadn't considered past her lifetime. "Then I will accompany your offspring."

"Having kids breaks so many teachings."

"But you're not very true to your teachings."

Kahlei pouted. "I so am."

"We both know that is a lie, Jedi. If you freed your emotions then you'd make a fine Sith. I will ensure that your children don't suffer the same fate."

"I'm not having children, but if I did then I wouldn't let you near them."

"Disappointing. But how could you stop me if you were dead?"

"There is no death, only the force," she recited. Scourge rolled his eyes. "No, seriously, I'd appear to you through the force and find a way to stop you."

"Do you fear the Dark Side that much?"

"There is no emotion: including fear. I'm not afraid of the Dark Side, I simply understand that it is bad."

"It is not 'bad'. It is strength."

"We Jedi only need strength to protect others." Replying with her teachings was the best way to get him off her back, whilst also encouraging herself to not stray from them.

"You bore me when throw your silly little quotes at me." Scourge then grinned. "Whatever happened to all that lust? You can't say 'There is no passion, there is serenity' after yesterday's display, Jedi."

Kahlei felt her cheeks flare up. Why did he have to bring that up? Why did he have to be so good at detecting emotions? If only a Sarlacc pit would open up and swallow her whole. Hey, she was certainly on the right planet for that.

Thankfully, they had arrived at the laboratory

and so Kahlei was saved from further humiliation. She threw the sith robes over head, hiding her jedi garments and pulled the hood up. Together, they strode in.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

"Sith," Scourge growled.

"What are your names, my Lords?"

"None of your business."

Kahlei coughed. "We are investigating a security matter that requires anonymity."

The guards widened their eyes and began to murmur amongst themselves. She crossed her fingers that whatever she'd said that had caught their attention worked in their favour.

"You're here about the stolen weapon?"

Stolen weapon? Obviously it was going to turn out to be the isotope - 5 weapon that had been stolen, because that's the sort of thing that always happened to her. "Yes."

"We never imagined they'd send Sith."

Time to play along. "Our Master is fascinated by the weapon and when he heard it had been stolen, he demanded that we both recovered it."

"The Isotope - 5 weapon is too valuable to allow the Republic to get their hands on it," a scientist said. "They would exterminate us."

Clearly these Imperials had the wrong end of the stick about the Republic.

So, who was the culprit? It wasn't the Republic. Her best guess was Wrath. Wrath had probably moved it in case they'd gone looking for it, which they had. It was a shame her adversary wasn't stupid.

"What do you know about the thief?"

On cue, they were lead to a room full of screens showing camera feed. She assumed this was the security room.

"I just don't understand how they managed to slice into our servers without a trace. They shut down everything." The officer showed them what the camera had picked up. The device was there, the screen went black, and then it wasn't there. "The servers were down for five minutes. That's all he needed to break in and steal the weapon."

"What makes you think it's a he?"

"Nothing, we have no idea who this person is."

"At all? Did nobody see this person?"

"No, they seemed to know exactly when everyone went for a break."

So, it was someone who could access information like that. Someone like Wrath. Kahlei and Scourge shared a knowing glance.

Great. She was back to the beginning. No leads, no nothing.

A small framed, fragile looking guy stumbled into the room. He didn't look very old at all. "Uhm, I think I might know something."

Scourge stepped forwards and loomed over him. The boy looked very, very scared. "Spit it out then, whelp."

"I.. um, I... A Sith lady came here last week and told me to give coordinates to a really tall Sith and a much smaller Sith if they visited." He glanced at the pair. "I think she meant you." He bowed, hastily, remembering his manners. "Uh, my Lords."

Kahlei frowned. Could this be Wrath? "What did she look like?" Hopefully not bright red hair and sith markings.

"Um, I don't know. She wore a mask." Wow. This kid was really helpful.

Kahlei took the datapad containing the coordinates off him and nodded to Scourge.

Hey, at least they had something.

* * *

A scratching noise was coming from the back of the cave the coordinates had lead them to. She could also see a small light.

Because this wasn't creepy at all.

"Uh, who's there?"

The scratching paused. Then, hundreds of candles simultaneously lit themselves. The dark figure at the back lowered their hood.

As she moved closer, she realised that it was a human female and that the scratching had been a metal nail file. Her dark curly hair fell perfectly in place and she possessed the highest cheekbones Kahlei had ever seen, giving her an edge of elegance. She couldn't help envy this woman.

This certainly wasn't Wrath, this was someone else.

The woman smiled. It wasn't a cruel smile that most other Sith had, it almost seemed... friendly? "I am Darth Nox. You two are Jedi Master Kahlei and Lord Scourge, formerly the Emperor's Wrath."

"You know us?"

Nox stood, her dark robes billowing out. "You, my dear, are the one who defeated the Emperor. And you travel with the previous Wrath. How could I not know you both?"

Kahlei noticed the sleeping bag and food that were scattered amongst the candles. And the datacrons. "You were waiting for us?"

"I had a vision. A vision that I would meet you both at this very spot. So I waited until you arrived. I can be very patient."

Scourge narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Nox?"

"You know her?" Kahlei asked.

"No. But I heard she is the head of the sphere of ancient knowledge. It would be foolish to trust her."

Darth Nox waved her hands about. "Relax, relax, I don't seek your harm."

"Then what else do you seek?"

The hostile tone that Scourge had used appeared to have awoken the Dashade behind Nox. Wait.. a  _Dashade?_  Weren't they like extinct? "Chempa'i Para'du."

"Not now, Khem. Remember what I told you? You can't feast on them."

Oh great, this Khem was hungry. Kahlei raised her eyebrows. "You speak Dashade?"

"It's Dashadi. But yes, I do." What was with this woman? She was super pretty, super clever and super powerful. She was so perfect that she seemed artificial. Kahlei could feel the dark aura around Nox, daring her to challenge it. The power radiating from her was ghastly yet magnificent at the same time. It was unnatural.

As the Dashade climbed to his feet to protectively stand behind his Master, Kahlei realised he must have been at least 7 foot tall. She turned to Scourge. "Hey, looks like we found someone taller and scarier than you." He rolled his eyes. It seemed that the only thing he found funny was laughing at her.

Darth Nox waited for them to return their attention to her. "Now, I propose that we all work together. I can help you get what you want and you can help me get what I want."

Kahlei was back to how she'd been at the start of her quest. After discovering the weapon had been stolen, they had no leads. This Sith's assistance would be necessary. But she was Sith. And therefore would have a ulterior motive. "Before I agree to anything, I want to know what you're up to."

Nox smirked. "Very wise, little Jedi." She returned to sitting cross-legged on her rock and gestured for Kahlei and Scourge to sit on the floor beside her. "What I want is his," she pointed a manicured finger at Scourge, "Immortality."

"Idiot. Do not wish my curse upon yourself."

"With my adaptations, it shall be a blessing. Extracting it is fiddly and I require further equipment for the ritual, so you shall assist me with that. However, it won't harm you in anyway. And seeing as you despise it so much, you should consider me to be helping you twice. Except that the second benefits me," she said. "But you two get the better deal."

Kahlei frowned. This all seemed too convenient. "And what will you do once you have it?"

"Enjoy living hundreds of times over? I can do anything I want to do without worrying about time." She beamed. "My first master, Darth Zash, sought immortality. She managed to find a way to preserve her soul and possess different bodies. However, I would rather not have this body wither and decay." Her eyes gleamed in excitement. "And the answer to my search lays right before me. I would gladly risk angering both Wrath and the Dark Council for the gift of immortality."

She glanced at Scourge. This was entirely his decision. Although, she couldn't help but hope he'd go through with it. If he was able to feel again, he would be able to show her real passion. Passion that would make what she'd felt back at Jaron's home feel insignificant. She would be able to be one with Scourge and-

Kahlei slapped herself. Well, in her head. Randomly slapping herself would have made Scourge, Nox and the Dashade think she'd gone crazy.

Was she going crazy? What was she thinking?

No, it was just the creepy darkness that filled this place. It must have been having a bad influence on her already less then stable mind. Kahlei was pleased with her excuse.

Scourge stroked his right tendril, contemplating. "Very well, Nox. I agree."

Nox clapped her hands together. "Excellent!"

"Uh, I'm all for getting rid of Scourge's curse, but we kinda have a deadline."

"I already know that, Master Kahlei. The ritual itself won't take too long, but getting the necessary artefacts will."

"We don't have time. We need to stop Wrath first," she said.

"And we will. Whenever did I say I wanted to do the ritual first? Let us first stop Wrath and then I shall claim my prize."

Scourge seemed content with the arrangement. He was good at reading people and if he'd been suspicious of Nox, he would have said.

But Kahlei couldn't help but wonder if his judgement had been clouded by the dream of freeing himself of the curse. He'd told her he'd give anything to be able to feel again. She couldn't shake away the terrible feeling she had in her gut. Was trusting this Sith really a good idea?

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold."
> 
> -Joseph Parry

Kira sank into the sofa of the ship's lounge, where their holoterminal lay. She cradled her head in her hands.

Why was Kahlei doing this? Couldn't she see that she was being lead down a dark, dangerous path?

Why wouldn't she listen to her? Kira blinked away the tears that began to cloud her eyes. When she'd confronted Kahlei, her emotions had been raging inside her. She'd tried to not let them overwhelm her, but they had. And she feared she'd pushed Kahlei even further away.

What was she going to do?

Kira stared at the blue light of the holoterminal. No, she couldn't tell the Council that she'd failed her mission. She had to try and try again, until Kahlei would come back. She would have to prepare herself to be thrown back as long as it took Kahlei to return to her senses.

She smiled, grimly.

Because that's what friends did, right?

* * *

_"It was Wrath who stole the weapon, right?" Kahlei then frowned upon realising something. "It was stolen a few days ago, yet you would have been here at the time..."_

_Nox grinned. "Oh, you're so very right, Jedi. I was here AND I knew what was going on. But if I'd have stopped them, I wouldn't have had a bargaining chip."_

_This woman was Sith inside and outside. "You would, you are able to free Scourge of his curse."_

_"But I need you to participate in the ritual and what do you gain from that?" Nox watched Kahlei's expression for a few moments, before giggling. "Oh, I see, Jedi. Hmm, who'd have thought that the Emperor's Slayer would have fallen for a Sith?"_

_Kahlei widened her eyes. What? Seriously? She was that easy to read? Besides, it wasn't like she'd fallen for him or anything, she just thought he was easy on the eyes.. Well, maybe a lot more than just nice to look at. Okay, so maybe she had fallen for him a little tiny bit. Thank the force Scourge wasn't there, or she'd have felt even more humiliated. Had Nox really been able to detect her emotions so easily? She'd need to keep an eye on that. Having a Sith finding concealed emotions was dangerous, especially if you were in combat with them._

_"Oh, don't worry, Jedi. I've got a very good eye for things like that.." Nox smiled. "You know, I think we're going to get along really well."_

_Great. Then she'd have two sith buddies. Wouldn't the Council be proud of her?_

* * *

"Um, Master Jedi," someone was knocking on the door to the room Kahlei was currently renting in Anchorhead.

She opened her door to an orange skinned Togruta with jedi looking robes standing outside. The girl appeared somewhere around five years younger than her. She moved closer and whispered, "Darth Nox sent me."

Kahlei nodded. Darth Nox had told her to wait in here until she sent someone. She let the girl in, made her a hot drink and then they both sat down on the sofa.

"Are you Nox's apprentice?"

"No, I'm a padawan. I left the Order a few years ago."

"Why?"

"They wouldn't let me back. Not after what I did."

"The Order will forgive most things, if they believe you're sorry." Kahlei paused. "What's your name?"

"Ashara Zavros."

"And I'm Jedi Mas-"

"Jedi Master Kahlei Halin, Hero of Tython and the one who defeated the Emperor. Yeah, there's a lot of stories about you." Ashara sipped at her tea and then set it down. "It was just before I met Nox that I remember hearing how you saved Tython. It made me want to be a Jedi even more. To be a Hero, like you."

"You could still be a Jedi Knight."

"No, they won't let me." Ashara frowned. "But if they're so forgiving why did you leave the Order?"

"I had an argument with the Council."

"Over?"

"They want to follow what Wrath told them to do: to hand my friend over to her. But I'd rather stop Wrath."

"From blowing up Coruscant? Yeah, Nox told me all about it." She bowed her head. "I may work for her now, but I still want to help. Well, Nox ordered me to help, but I'd have wanted to anyway. Actually, this is the best mission she's ever given me."

"What did Nox tell you to do?"

"Oh yeah. Basically, she showed me how to talk to her through the force using this," Ashara pulled out a small relic. Kahlei could feel the darkness surrounding it. "Because she doesn't want to use any holocoms. She's paranoid the Empire will find out she's working with a Jedi. She also said that I'm to stay with you until you've upheld your end of the deal."

"So, basically you're the messenger and the spy?" This girl was way too honest for her own good.

"Yeah, but she didn't say anything about spying."

"Nox said you'd have information on who stole the weapon."

"I do?" Kahlei face palmed. "Oh, she probably wants to speak to you, then." Ashara held the relic in her hands, concentrating. Kahlei could feel the Togruta channelling the Dark Side. She claimed to still be a Jedi and not Nox's apprentice, yet she was wielding darkness. Clearly Nox did have some hold on her, despite her claims otherwise.

Kahlei was instructed to hold onto Ashara's other hand. When she did, she found herself in a dark room, accompanied by Nox and Ashara. The only light was a single candle. This Nox really had a thing for candles.

"Hello again, Jedi, I see you've met Ashara." Nox paused, glancing round. "Lord Scourge isn't present?"

"The Red Guy? You should've said," Ashara said.

"No matter, the Jedi can relay the information back to him." Nox motioned for them to sit. "Ashara will be our way of contacting. She will also inform me if you are considering not going through with your end of the deal." She gave Kahlei a knowing grin. "Not that you'd want to." Urgh. Did she really have to torment her? But that was the Sith way. And pointing out emotion and darkness in Jedi seemed to be their favourite past time. "Although it is likely Wrath has a hand in the incident, I doubt she will have done the dirty work herself."

"So we need to find out who did."

"Exactly my thoughts. I have found out that Wrath has been sighted on Nar Shaddaa multiple times: an excellent place to hire a mercenary. I suggest you start there."

Before Kahlei had chance to question her further, Nox began to fade away. She soon found herself back in the rented room. As she snapped out of the trance, she noticed that Scourge was already there.

"Hey, where did you run off to?"

"I've been out."

"Yeah, I figured. Out where?"

"Out."

If it had been any other guy, Kahlei would have teased him about running off with a nice little Twi'lek girl. But if she'd have voiced her joke, he'd have accused her of mocking his curse. He got very sensitive about that.

Hopefully he hadn't had the sudden urge to go and kill a load of people.

"Ashara, Scourge. Scourge, Ashara."

"Hi there!"

Scourge just frowned. "That doesn't tell me who she is."

"She's Nox's apprenti-"

"No, not apprentice. Uhh, friend. Well, more like employee."

"Who can contact Nox through that instead of a holocom." Ashara dangled the relic in response to her explanation. Kahlei continued, "Nox was extremely helpful and gave us really detailed information on who we're looking for."

"Not really, she only told us to go to Nar Shaddaa," Ashara pointed out. "Oh, sarcasm, right."

"Us?"

Kahlei turned back to Scourge. "Yeah, Nox wants Ashara to go with us so we can contact her."

Scourge shrugged. Not like it made any difference to him, anyway.

* * *

Setting the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa, Kahlei thought about how good it was to leave that planet behind. She noticed the redness on her forehead in the reflective metal surface. And good timing, too, if they'd stayed any longer she'd probably have ended up with Scourge's skin tone. She prodded at it and winced in pain. Stupid sunburn.

She was digging around in the med bay for some form of after sun when Ashara approached her.

"Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for having me on your ship." Ashara glanced at the bottle Kahlei had in her hands, giggling. "I was gonna say something about that but then we got busy."

"Nox insisted, so it's not like I had a choice." The padawan's face fell. "But you're welcome to stay." Kahlei stood up, hitting her head on the edge of the table. She clutched it and cursed. Seriously? First her forehead and now the back of her head.

"You're really different to how I thought you'd be."

"I am?"

"I dunno, I always guessed you'd be this big, strong, unwavering champion of the light. But you're just a normal person."

She rubbed the lotion into her forehead. "Damn. Here I was thinking I was perfect."

"I mean you're dead nice and everything, but you're not the sort of Jedi I thought you'd be."

Kahlei snapped the lid shut and turned to look up at Ashara. What was up with her? Was she just being friendly or had Nox ordered her to gain her trust?

"Nox seems nice enough."

"Depends. If she's in a good mood, yeah, she's pretty nice for a Sith. But if she's in a bad mood..." She shuddered.

"But you still follow her."

"Well, yeah, where else could I go?"

It was then that she guessed what the padawan was after: escape from Nox. Kahlei supposed she'd be the perfect opportunity for that, especially since she was no longer part of the Order, herself. She sighed, knowing that Scourge would have told her how foolish her next words were. "You can stay here as long as you want."

"You mean it?" The Togruta gave Kahlei a massive hug. The look on her face told her that leaving Nox was exactly what she'd been after.

"Let's just hope Nox doesn't rip my head off for this."

Ashara wrinkled her nose. "She wouldn't care. In her eyes, everyone else is just a tool to be used."

She really didn't seem that fond of Nox. But Kahlei was surprised she'd been so open about it, despite the fact that she was obviously terrified of that Sith. Had Nox put her up to this?

 


	9. Chapter 9

"So, you gonna be a Jedi?"

Scourge scowled at Ashara. Kahlei had to give the girl some credit; she didn't even flinch. Not that her question had been the smartest, though. You just didn't ask a hulking Sith Lord like Scourge if they wanted to be a Jedi. And if you did, it certainly wasn't as blunt as Ashara had. "I would die before becoming Jedi scum."

"Hey, we Jedi aren't scum."

He just shrugged.

Ashara turned to Kahlei. "Real nice guy, your Sith friend."

She nearly choked on a seed of the fruit she was eating, laughing. "Yeah, charming, isn't he?" Her comment received a giggle from Ashara and the narrowing of Scourge's eyes. He didn't seem to care very much that he was currently being spoken about as if he weren't there.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" Ashara asked, giving Kahlei a mock salute.

"Uh, we could disguise ourselves as ordinary civilians and ask around about Wrath."

"That's a terrible plan. Clearly you haven't thought this through," Scourge said.

"Huh, I thought you were keen on plans that involved dress up."

"No, you were the one who posed as sith, but I did not. I  _am_  Sith," he stated. "If you care about Coruscant, I suggest you try a much more subtle approach. If you do something as blunt as that, Wrath will know what we plan and will most likely use her weapon."

"And your plan is?" As sarcastic as she sounded, she did value his opinion, and instantly regretted the hostile tone she'd taken.

"Instead of asking for Wrath herself, perhaps you could ask about someone close to her. Someone that would have accompanied Wrath as she met with the mercenary."

Scourge was wrong; she had put thought into this. And she did agree that her plan was awful. It wasn't that she hadn't considered something more like this. She had. But it wouldn't work since they knew so little about Wrath. Apart from her 'blazing in like a rancor in a china shop' plan, there really wasn't anything they could do. Perhaps if they'd known more they could-

"Hmm, think I know something," Ashara chirped in, with a mouthful of toast, "She has this twi'lek that follows her around everywhere."

She frowned. "You've met Wrath?"

"Well, not really. I've just seen her talking to Nox a few times."

"Do we have a name?" Scourge asked.

Ashara played with a Leku whilst she thought. "Um, I think she called her Velle. Wait... hm, might have been Vette?"

"Which is it, whelp?"

"Um, pretty sure it's Vette."

"I still think we should all dress casually," Kahlei said. "Two Jedi and a Sith asking for information on someone so close to Wrath? That's just going to draw attention to ourselves. I mean, if you were spying for Wrath, you'd be more worried about three force users than three civilians."

"I wouldn't pass for a civilian."

Scourge had a point. It was extremely rare to find a pure blooded sith who wasn't force sensitive, so he would only raise suspicion. Even if he wore the plainest, most casual clothing in the galaxy, he wouldn't pass for an unremarkable nobody.

* * *

Leaving Scourge on the ship, Kahlei and Ashara set off to some of Nar Shaddaa's best known cantinas. Nar Shaddaa was easily one of her least favourite locations. Although out of Hoth, Tatooine and the now toxic Makeb, this was probably the best. It was so hard to shut out everything that she could feel through the force; it was just a constant distraction. Nor was what she could sense very pleasant. Through the force, the moon was a tide of emotions. She was drowned in the anger, despair, grief and jealousy that the people radiated. There was so much pain, so much there was little she could do to stop it. Crime flourished, here and poisoned any hopes of a peaceful existence.

Watching Ashara's expression, she suspected the Togruta felt the same. Having said that, Kahlei imagined that after watching Nox's antics, the padawan was more resilient to the impact of suffering.

"So, Wrath wants Scourge, right?" She nodded in response to Ashara, who then continued, "Why'd you give everything up for someone like him, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's rude, unfriendly and moody all the time."

"He just doesn't like Jedi."

"But you're a Jedi, too, like me."

She shrugged. "Just give him a chance."

"Fine, fine. I'll try."

Garbed in their plain civilian clothes, they visited numerous cantinas. However, it seemed that none of the workers or regulars had paid much attention to Wrath and her twi'lek. Sith weren't all that uncommon; she saw a few in each cantina they went to. She'd been worried that they'd sense something strange about her or that they could have been working for Wrath, but most seemed too busy harassing dancers to notice her. Likewise, twi'lek slaves were far too common.

Ashara and Kahlei were sat at the bar of the fifth cantina they'd been to, waiting for a moment where they could talk to the bartender alone without prying ears. Unfortunately, it seemed he was preoccupied with a male Zabrak bawling his eyes out about some girl who'd left him for a smuggler. There was also a twi'lek and a human guy sat at a pazaak table nearby, but the two men seemed to be out of earshot. In the meantime, they ordered some drinks and chatted to each other. When the Zabrak finally left, then they approached the bartender.

"Hey, you heard anything about a little blue twi'lek round here?"

"A little blue twi'lek? That's like asking if I've seen a Nikto in the Nikto Sector," he laughed. "This twi'lek got a name?"

"Vette."

"Huh. Yeah, might know that one. What d'you want with her?"

"We go way back," Ashara said. "We heard she'd been forced into slavery and we want to help her."

"Go home, give it up. You won't be getting your friend back."

Kahlei folded her arms. "We'll do whatever it takes.

The bar tender just continued to wipe the table with a ratty looking rag, smirking. "Cute, real cute. But you're in way over your heads. You got a death wish? Then yeah, sure, go ask for your friend back."

"Why're we in way over our heads?"

"She's with a Sith."

As she mocked surprise by letting her jaw drop and eyes widen, she heard a voice in the back of her mind lecturing her on how wrong this constant lying was. About how a true Jedi wouldn't have found these lies as easy as she did. Kahlei pushed it away. There was no room for doubt: she had to commit to this. "A Sith? No, no, you must... you must have the wrong twi'lek!"

The man sighed, throwing his cloth down. "Look, girly, I know you don't want to believe it, but she  _is_  a slave to a sith. No one in their right minds would mess with a sith, but this one? You don't want to go near her."

"That bad, huh?" Glancing round the room, she'd noticed that displaying a lack of manners was typical behaviour and so, decided to kick her feet up onto the table.

"You don't know the half of it."

Ashara frowned, leaning closer to this man. "They been here recently?"

"Yeah, the other week. Don't tell me you're still thinking about going after your friend?"

Kahlei shrugged. "We've been through some pretty rough stuff."

"Pretty rough stuff? You've obviously never been face to face with a Sith, girly."

Kahlei grinned to herself, thinking how he'd have changed his tune had he known that she had the ex-Wrath back on her ship. Well, he probably didn't know what the 'Emperor's Wrath' meant, but if he did.

"You need to be waving your little twi'lek friend 'bye bye'."

Ashara downed another shot and Kahlei hoped the Togruta would manage to make it back to their ship without needing to be carried. "Nope, not an option. So, you seen those two with anyone else?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." he said, folding his arms. "I'm not talking."

She sighed. Why did people always insist on being this obstinate? "Even after all those credits we just gave you?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ashara giving her a raised look. That man had asked for the mind trick.

"You did?" He scratched his head.

Hm, he seemed to have a much stronger will than she'd been expecting.

"We did. Don't you remember seeing the transaction?" Kahlei waved her datapad at him.

"Huh, really? I don't remember. Guess I must have had a few too many to drin-" His eyes flashed open and he glanced at them both with concern. "I- I didn't say that." He leant closer to them and whispered, "Please, don't tell my employers."

"Tell them what?" Kahlei leered. "That you've been stealing booze from them?"

"No, no. Shut up. You can't tell them that."

"Oh, really? And why wouldn't I?"

Ashara giggled and Kahlei grinned back at her. This guy was just digging himself a hole.

"Fine, fine. I'll talk. What do you want to know?"

"Who were Vette and the Sith with?"

"Some big time mercenary. One of those blue folk."

"Blue folk?"

"Y'know, those blue things with red eyes. Uhh... chiss. Don't get too many of those round here," he slurred.

"He a local?"

"Yeah, does a lot of jobs for the Giradda the Hutt. He's one of my regulars."

"Name?"

The man remained silent. Kahlei sent him the fiercest stare she could muster up. He swallowed and with reluctance, continued. "Fine. Calls himself Zander. Dunno his real name, something long and Chissy." He frowned. "What's that got to do with your friend?"

"Everything."

"Just.. Look, I didn't tell you anything about him. 'Kay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

Although he'd been stubborn, he'd been pretty helpful in the end. Feeling generous, Kahlei decided to leave him a big tip. However, he seemed more worried about what this mercenary was going to do to him to be happy about the extra credits.

At least they had the name of Wrath's hired thug. Zander. Now they just had to dig up some dirt on him.

"Huh, poor guy."

Kahlei suspected she was hinting at her mind trick. "Hey, if I hadn't confused him, then we wouldn't have this guy's name."

Ashara waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, I get that." Kahlei waited for a comment about how she 'wasn't a typical Jedi', but was glad when she got none. Instead, Ashara grinned. "I didn't mean it like that, anyway. What's so bad about a little mind trick? That's nothing compared to what Nox'd have done."

"Huh, Nox didn't seem that bad. She came across as very friendly, actually."

The Togruta stopped, her face full of disdain. Kahlei studied her expression. She'd intended for her comment to get a reaction out of Ashara and it had. Whirling round to grab Kahlei's arms, she stared at her dead in the eyes. "Friendly?" She scoffed. "Yeah, friendly as the Nexu beast that stalks its prey."

Kahlei stared back at her. She couldn't sense a hint of deception in the girl. The doubt she'd had about Ashara's honesty was gone. There was no way she could have been acting.

"You seem like a good person, Kahlei, and Nox hurts good people. Be careful. Seriously. You can't trust her." Ashara swallowed. "But you can't tell her any of this."

"You're afraid of her," Kahlei said, neither teasing nor sympathetic. She simply stated the fact.

"Well, duh," Ashara rolled her eyes. "You'd be crazy not to. You have no idea how powerful she is. I mean, I know you took down the Emperor an' all, but she's different. She's ... cunning."

"You sound like you've had first hand experience."

"She convinced me into meeting her by the offer of a forbidden holocron. I was so young and I thought it'd be okay, thought it was just gonna be a holocron. A holocron with knowledge that would help me save the galaxy from the Sith. That's what she promised me," she confessed. "Next minute, I'm killing someone in cold blood."

"That's not your fault. She probably used the force to play with your head."

"No. I may have been stupid, but I wasn't weak. It was my choice and I can't go back."

"Ashara, you truly regret it. The Order would see that," Kahlei said. "Are you afraid of going back? Or do you just not want to?"

She stared at the ground. "Bit of both."

* * *

Giradda the Hutt was perhaps one of the most infamous Hutts on Nar Shaddaa and was best known for his sponsoring of Huttball. Finding information on Giradda was much easier than it had been for the mercenary.

Apart from being a huge supporter of the bloodsport, little else was remarkable about this Hutt. His tan-blue skin was coated with slime and the disgusting body odour he shared with the rest of his kind caused Kahlei to take a big step back.

They were stood before this Hutt in his private room of the casino he owned. The casino was notorious for its chaos and violence, but who would have expected anything else from Huttball's biggest supporter?

Kahlei and Ashara had opted for their Jedi garments, knowing the Hutt wouldn't have taken them seriously had they shown up as mere civilians.

Giradda laughed and then spoke in Huttese, a language neither Kahlei nor Ashara were fluent in. "Stupid Jedi, you come seeking information from me yet you have nothing to offer," said his translator.

Dealing with this Hutt sure made dealing with a Sith Lord look like a walk in the park. "We can work something out."

Giradda let out a low rumble whilst he thought. "And what can you give me that he can't? This mercenary is very useful."

"Can't you just hire another?" Ashara asked him.

"I've yet to find one as capable. I pay this man lots of credits to demonstrate my power across the galaxy."

It was a shame Hutts were resistant to Jedi Mind Tricks. If they hadn't, dealing with this Giradda would have been much easier.

"Unless you take his place. Having a Jedi willingly doing  _my_  bidding would be a huge display of strength."

Being a Hutt's lap dog? "Uh, no thanks."

"Then you can offer me nothing I want."

Kahlei sighed. He really was stubborn. "Fine. I will do one job for you."

"Three."

"Two."

"Done."

Great. Now she was working for a Hutt. "You tell me about Zander, then I'll do what you want."

"No. You do what I want, then I think about it."

She scowled. This was starting to grate on her. "Then no deal."

"You do one job, I'll tell you about Zander. You do the other job, I get Zander to meet you."

Could she really trust a Hutt? "Fine. But if I find out that you've told Zander about me looking for him, then you'll be sorry."

The Hutt's hearty laugh sounded more like a deep roar. "I am the Great Giradda. You are a puny Jedi."

Kahlei folded her arms. "I am the Jedi who slew the Emperor, Hutt."

And that certainly had Giradda looking fearful for a moment, but then seemed extremely pleased that he'd managed to employ someone who'd accomplished such an enormous feat.

* * *

"Vette, there's people looking for you."

Xaryia was out and for once, had taken Broonmark with her. Vette had been left behind to look after the ship.

She frowned at the miniature guy on her holocom. Her old twi'lek friend looked like he hadn't bathed for days. And his tatty clothes didn't look much better. He probably still had his gambling and alcohol problems.

People were looking for her?

"Who?"

"I didn't catch their names. A female human and togruta."

"What did they want?"

"Heard they say they'd known you a long time and wanted to rescue you from your Sith friend."

Known them for a long time? Vette shook her head. She'd couldn't remember any Togruta friends. And she certainly didn't need rescuing.

"You know them?"

Vette paused. She'd been about to say no, but on second thought... "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry 'bout it."

When he was gone, she collapsed into her chair. She didn't plan on telling Xaryia this. If she did, Xaryia would insist they were a threat that needed eradicating. Then they'd be killed without her ever finding out what they were after.

Besides, what if they'd sorta been friends but it had been so long that she'd forgotten them?

No.

She had to keep this a secret from Xaryia.

So, how long had she said she'd been gone for? A couple of days?

Vette tapped Xaryia's frequency into her holocom. It went straight to recording. "Don't worry about me, Xar. Just nipped back to the fleet to pick some supplies. You won't even notice I've gone."

With that done, she set course for Nar Shaddaa.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not Giradda, but the other Hutt featured here has a 'feminine personality' and will therefore be referred to as a she, although Hutts are actually an it.

 

"...Ashara..."

She felt the familiar voice reaching out to her. Sighing, she closed her eyes and focused.

Once again, she was whisked away into the familiar dark room that felt much more like a void. Nox was sat cross legged, a candle in front of her face. Why was it always so dark here? Because of the relic? Or did this represent Nox's soul?

"How did Nar Shaddaa go?"

"You knew we'd finished?"

Nox just smiled, placing the candle down between them. Thank the force she was in a good mood today. "What did you learn?"

"We found out that Wrath's hired a mercenary, like you thought she had. His name's Zander and apparently does a lot of work for Giradda. Kahlei went to Giradda for information on Zander but he'd only agree to it if she did some work for him."

"I have contacts who'd know about Zander. I could have gotten information much quicker." Ashara flinched, knowing the Sith was about to snap. Uh oh. A dark edge began to form in Nox's eyes. "You didn't think to ask me? Do you enjoy wasting my time?"

"It's not just for information. He said he'd arrange a meeting if Kahlei did some jobs."

Nox relaxed. Ashara let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. How did this woman flip so quickly? "A meeting is acceptable, then. Be sure he does. You can't trust a Hutt. The only thing you can trust is that they'll do anything to save their own skin."

Satisfied, Nox allowed the room to crumble away and Ashara found herself thrown back into reality.

* * *

"So, Giradda," Kahlei clapped her hands behind a back as she looked at the blue Hutt on her holoterminal. "What did you want me to do on Hutta?"

When the Hutt finished speaking, the skinny, nervous looking translator beside him began to translate. "You are to spread my strength to the Bareesh clan. The Exchange have declared war on the Bareesh clan and you are to stop them in my name."

"You mean spreading  _my_ strength?"

She could hear Ashara snorting with laughter from behind her. Giradda, however, didn't seem anywhere near as amused. "No. My strength. My name. Go to Tassaa Bareesh's palace and say Giradda sent you."

"Fine." She ended the holocall. If she wanted the mercenary, then she was going to have to humour this Hutt.

The three of them disembarked the ship and set out for the Bareesh palace. Nal Hutta supposedly translated to "Glorious Jewel" in Huttese. But glancing at the sludge that caked her boots, Kalei wasn't so convinced. The pollution in the atmosphere was so thick that it caused the sunlight to be a permanent dim orange colour: a colour that managed the planet look even more filthy. Then again, a swap filled planet probably was a Hutt's idea of paradise. And credits. Lots and lots of credits.

Kahlei had been surprised that Giradda had asked her to assist a fellow Hutt. From what she knew of his kind, the gluttonous worms only cared for themselves. So, why did Giradda want her to help the Bareesh clan? Was it simply that he despised the Exchange? Or was the Hutt planning something else?

"Ew," Ashara wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You'd have to be crazy to live here."

Entering Tassaa's palace was a relief. It still smelt and was far from hygienic, but it was a vast improvement from the outside world. None of the guards approached them, despite how three force users striding in should have raised suspicion.

_We're expected._

A Hutt was sat in the middle of a large room that was well decorated with all sorts of precious gems and metals. Tassaa was a key Cartel Crime Lord so it was unsurprising that her room was lavishly adorned. It demonstrated her wealth and power.

"Welcome, Champion of the Giradda Clan." Tassaa the Hutt frowned, studying them carefully. "I was told one, not three. Hm, it seems that Giradda is most generous."

"He said you've been having problems with the Exchange." It was best to get straight to the point. She didn't want to spend longer working for the Hutts than she had to.

Tassaa made an angry noise. It sounded more like a rumble. "They invaded my land and stole my slaves!"

"You want us to stop the leader?"

Tassaa nodded her bulbous head. "I was going to send my own strike team until Giradda contacted me. But, since there are three of you, you won't need my support. I will send some enforcers to keep their other forces away from their main base whilst you take out their leader, Tafo. The Exchange will learn to fear the Hutt Cartel when three jedi-"

"I am Sith."

The Hutt waved her hands at Scourge, defensively. "Two Jedi and a sith, then." Tassaa gave them a datapad with coordinates to the Exchange base that the leader had been sighted at by the Hutt's agents.

And then, it was back into Hutta's stunning environment of swaps, scrap metal and more swaps.

"I despise Hutts," Scourge said, once they were safely away from Tassaa's palace.

"Because one called you a Jedi?"

Ashara seemed to get a kick out of Kahlei's comment.

"Do not mock me." He shook his head, continuing, "They are cowards who are only driven by their insatiable greed."

"I thought you'd have approved of their lust for power?"

"No. There are different forms of power. A Hutt's idea of power is wealth and control. These are worthless compared to individual strength. That is true power."

"But don't Sith try to build up power bases and wealth?"

"Some. Those who do, however, value their own strength over their support and riches. They would sacrifice those petty powers for real strength. If they would not, then they are not worthy of being called Sith."

"A conversation on Sith philosophy. Cheery," Ashara piped in. "How about we discuss Jedi-ing instead?"

"I would rather it if you didn't."

"You'd prefer us talking about how stupid Sith are?"

"Put a leash on your padawan, Jedi."

It seemed that Ashara purposely tried to provoke Scourge and Scourge simply rose to it. "Uh, she's not my padawan." He didn't look too impressed so she added, "I would if she was, though."

"Hey, you should really just lighten up." Ashara giggled upon realising the Force related meaning of 'light'. "Would it really kill you to be happy?"

* * *

The Exchange had set up their base in an old industrial site on the outskirts of Gebroila. Rusty metal from the run down factories and holostatues of the Exchange banners were the only decoration here.

"Jedi." The exchange man spat the word at them and reached for his blaster. "Get off our-" He was cut off as Scourge force choked him to death.

Ashara stared at the corpse as it fell to into the mud. "You know, you didn't have to kill him? We could have done this peacefully."

"You think they'd willingly hand over their leader?" Scourge scoffed.

She sighed and looked at Kahlei, hoping she'd agree. Kahlei frowned, "Let's just get this over with."

Ashara blinked in disbelief as she watched Kahlei storm through the base after Scourge, light saber blazing. "You can't be serious."

Part of her could see Ashara's point about the unnecessary violence, but the other part told her that every second they wasted here was another second that they could have been closer to stopping Wrath. She glanced over her shoulder to see Ashara reluctantly following the path that they carved through the Exchange. "Ashara, we haven't got time to reason with them."

"Yeah, I know. I just thought..."

Just thought that being a Jedi, she wouldn't have rushed into violence before trying peace? Just thought she was different to Nox?

Kahlei leapt over to group of Exchange gunners who'd just started shooting them. She swept her light sabers at them, watching as they fell to the ground with very little resistance.

_This is a massacre._

She stopped and stared behind her, feeling sickened at the sheer amount of bodies.

_A bloodbath._

In the name of greater good, Kahlei had ignored Ashara's protests.

_Maybe I should have listened to her._

No. What was she thinking? It would have been pointless to compromise with the Exchange once they'd discovered she was working for the Hutts. The outcome would have been the same. It was inevitable.

With confidence, Kahlei strode into the largest abandoned factory. The Exchange in here still tried to push them back, but had very little chance against three force users. If they stopped, the Exchange would continue shooting at them. This was self defence.

A man stepped forwards through all the chaos. He raised his hand and the firing ceased. He was a tall, well built man with shaggy dark hair.

_Their leader._

She lowered her light sabers. Scourge and Ashara did the same.

"How much did those slugs pay you for this, Jedi?" He folded his arms. "Whatever it is, we can pay you better."

"Credits are worthless." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Scourge nod his approval. Oh drat. Now she was quoting him.

"Then how did he pay you?"

Raising her light sabers, she tightened her grip. "Information." As she went for the leader, the rest of the Exchange began firing at her. Ashara and Scourge leapt to her defence and the men changed their targets.

That left Kahlei to deal with the leader. The duel - well, it wasn't really much of one - quickly ended with her cutting him down. The rest of them dropped their weapons in surrender.

Scourge paused, light saber centimetres away from a petrified looking man. "What do you want to do with them?" His tone made the question not sound like a subordinate to his boss. It was as if he was testing her.

"We're sparing them."

He frowned and flicked off his light saber, before following the two women out of the factory. "Your mercy makes you weak." Ashara, on the other hand, seemed relieved at her decision.

"What would I gain from killing them? I would only be wasting time."

"That is a pragmatic decision. However, you didn't decide to spare for pragmatic reasons. You did it out of sympathy. You are weak."

"Whatever."


	11. Chapter 11

"You'd better start talking, Hutt."

Giradda's holo let out a deep laugh. "Tassaa said she was most impressed with the Giradda Clan. So, what do you want to know about Zander, Jedi?"

"Where is he?"

"You do the next job for me, I tell you where he is and I get him to meet you. If I tell you where he is now, you could run off and not finish our deal." He narrowed his reptilian eyes. "Zander does a lot of jobs for the Empire. Is that why you want him?"

"Our deal wasn't for me to share information. Just you. Is he currently working for you?"

Giradda nodded. "He will be expecting me to contact him. So when I arrange a meeting, he won't be suspicious."

If the Hutt was being honest, that would be pretty perfect. She just had to hope he wasn't planning on stabbing her in the back. "What do you want now, then?"

"I'll tell you when you arrive back at Nar Shaddaa."

Kahlei disconnected the call and went to set her ship en route to Nar Shaddaa. Luckily, it was Hutta's moon so they wouldn't have to wait very long. Deciding that she could use some meditation, she settled down in the med bay.

Why did she keep having to constantly tell herself that her actions were for the greater good? 'For the greater good' was an excuse that Jedi used when they had very little choice over a matter. The lesser of two evils. Was she simply going through a time filled with so much evil? Or was she losing herself?

When she opened her eyes, she felt more collected than earlier. Well, that lasted until she noticed a certain Sith leaning against the door frame.

"I-" He stopped to rephrase whatever he'd been about to say. "I wanted to apologise for calling you weak."

Kahlei's eyes bulged out of her sockets. What? "You're... you're actually sorry about something?"

"I merely picked an incorrect word to describe you. You managed to defeat the Emperor, despite the doubts I had."

"You didn't think I could do it?"

"No," he admitted. "I was convinced you'd fail. However, back then you proved that you are one of the stronger beings in the galaxy and therefore making my earlier words inaccurate. You are stupid, not weak."

"Um. You just insulted me again. You do realise that's not how you apologise?"

"I simply wanted to correct my words."

"Gee, thanks. That's made me feel so much better." She then quickly added, "Not that I cared, anyway." Well, Scourge apologising had obviously been too good to be true.

"I also came to tell you that we've arrived on Nar Shaddaa."

"Oh. Right."

After leaving the ship secure in the spaceport, Kahlei pulled out her holocom to speak to Giradda.

"What do you want me to do?"

Kahlei could barely hear the translator over the noisy background. Where was the Hutt? "Come and meet me at these coordinates." Sighing, she made a note of the coordinates she received on her datapad.

Scourge and Ashara had both insisted on coming, so they had to all squeeze into one taxi. Perhaps the only thing she liked about Nar Shaddaa was the taxis. They were cheaper than on other planets and much more efficient. Besides, most would have been unable to fit all three of them in.

"Kinda reminds you of a grubby version of Coruscant, huh?" Ashara said, glancing down from the taxi.

"The Sacking of Coruscant was truly a glorious day for the Empire," Scourge said from her left hand side. Okay, now it was him trying to provoke the Jedi.

Before war could break out, Kahlei intervened by asking a factual question rather than allowing him to continue expressing his opinion. "Were you there in person, Scourge?"

"No. But news of Coruscant's fall travelled quickly as the Empire celebrated."

"Do you even know how been people suffered in that battle?" Ashara give Scourge a fierce look. "Don't talk about it like that."

"I know how many Republic fools suffered. That's why it was glorious."

"You're disgusting."

Kahlei didn't think (well, hoped not) Scourge actually found suffering that pleasing. The curse meant that he couldn't feel pleasure. She suspected he was most likely indifferent about it, but found it amusing to taunt Ashara. Not that the Togruta was aware of this, however.

She was glad when they arrived in the Duros Sector and no longer had to sit in the middle of their argument. Following the coordinates Giradda had sent lead them to a lift. A lift that was very out of the way. Hopefully the Hutt wasn't backstabbing her. Not that she'd have been surprised if he did.

After entering the room, it became obvious as to why it'd been so difficult to hear the translator. Humans, Hutts, Zabrak, Twi'lek and many other aliens were all gathered around. One of Giradda's enforcers had been waiting by the entrance and lead them through the screaming crowd towards the Hutt. Getting herself through the mob was a struggle, especially with the spectators pushing and shoving. Kahlei couldn't see what they were spectating, though.

Giradda's stand was high up, along with various other Hutts that she didn't recognise. They all looked the same. His was in the middle, so she assumed he was the main sponsor of whatever event this was.

"Welcome to our glorious pit fighting, little Jedi." He noticed the two standing behind her. "And friends."

"What do you want, Giradda?"

"Go down there and show them what you're made of - what the Giradda Clan is made of."

She turned to look down into the centre of the room. A Rattataki and Houk were throwing themselves at each other with brute force. Well, this was Giradda the Hutt. What else would he have been supporting? "You've got to be kidding. I'm a Jedi, not a gladiator."

"When I show my champion, all other Hutts will envy my power."

"Again, my power, not yours."

She watched Scourge smirk. "You might enjoy this, Jedi."

Kahlei ignored his comment and folded her arms. "Why are you so bothered about displaying 'your' strength, Giradda? What are you up to?"

"That's not part of our deal."

"I bet you want to be the next Supreme Mogul, huh?"

When the Hutt refused to answer, she knew she'd hit the mark. At least his ambitions had nothing to do with her. Well, aside from the fact that he wanted to show his Hutt friends that he could get a Jedi to do his bidding.

"You want your mercenary? Then go and fight."

She half walked and was half dragged down to the arena.

Scourge frowned, seeming unable to comprehend something. "It's not like you haven't killed before, Jedi."

"Yes, but I don't enjoy it. And I wasn't being used as a Hutt's plaything."

"Your Council used you as a puppet to kill Sith. Now you're being used by Hutts to kill one man."

"That's completely different. The Sith deserved it."

"Did all of them deserve it?"

"Well, yeah. I've always spared the who didn't. Like Praven. I would have spared you, too. That's what we Jedi do. We give people a chance - hope."

Their conversation was interrupted as the Rattataki's enormous vibrosword sliced down into the Houk. Kahlei watched Ashara turn away in abhor. Cheers errupted.

"SILENCE!"

The crowd all looked up to the arena-master who was stood next to Giradda. The Hutt's enforcer beside her forced her arm in the air, in order to draw attention to her.

"The Great Giradda the Hutt's Champion will now fight Verep - our current Champion!"

"This is the Jedi who slew the Emperor!" The Hutt announced. "This is my Champion!" The crowd began to murmur. Somehow she guessed they didn't get Jedi gladiators. And especially not ones who claimed to have been the one who killed the Emperor.

Kahlei found herself thrown into the ring. She could see Ashara giving her a thumbs up from the side lines. The Rattataki gave her a menancing look. For a non force user, he was actually quite intimidating.

"FIGHT!"

Upon the command, he charged towards her. Kahlei parried - her first mistake. Her light sabers shut down.

What?

She dodged the next series of strikes.

Why wouldn't they turn back on?

Cortosis.

Cortosis was a metal able to temporarily disable a light saber and reflect force attacks. The Rattataki grinned and continued his hacking motions. All she could do was run. Run and hope they'd switch on again. She evaded another cycle of blows and prepared to counter with a kick to his leg. However, he hadn't finished his attack and she wasn't ready for the next. Had she not predicted it just before he struck, she wouldn't have been able to stop it. Through her force enhanced speed and instincts, she'd just managed to block the flat edge of the blade with her palm. From the cheers, she guessed the crowd were impressed by it. With her blocking hand, she shoved the Rattataki back.

But she forgot it was cortosis and it prevented her from amplifying the action with the force. So her attack was more like a mere pat. Verep laughed. Using his own physical strike, he pushed her back. Kahlei found herself on the floor and rolled to avoid the next attacks. She rolled until she was at the edge of the ring. She felt blood and sand on her lips. Kahlei had felt confident going against a non force user. She hadn't expected this. Was she going to die here? The crowd moved back, aside from one. Kahlei felt a hand grab her shoulder as she remained laying on the floor.

"You're going to let a force blind kill you? Is that how you want to die?"

When Kahlei turned to face him, she'd thought she'd have seen him sneering - laughing at her. But she didn't. Wait.. was he worried?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Rattataki began to stomp towards her. A rookie's mistake. She couldn't be distracted by Scourge at a time like this. Not when her life was at risk.

She lay still, baiting him to strike her. When he did, she evaded it and grabbed his leg, pulling him off his feet. He crashed to the floor and his vibrosword fell out his hands. Hoping his armour wasn't cortosis weave, Kahlei sent a force powered spear finger thrust towards his solar plexus. A fatal strike, even with his armour (as long as it wasn't cortosis). But the bulky Rattataki was faster than he looked and easily dodged. His speed probably had something to do with all the implants. He snatched his vibrosword back. Kahlei jumped away. And, thank the force, her light sabers finally switched back on.

She'd have to do this without parrying. If her light sabers touched the cortosis, she'd be unarmed against his vibrosword. Sure, a Jedi always had the force but that wouldn't work against a weapon like that.

Furious, the Rattataki threw himself at her. Kahlei leapt over him, trying to land a strike in the air upon his head. A risky move. It left your legs open to your opponent and that would impair your movement. And with Ataru, movement was everything. But Kahlei had assumed he'd had little experience fighting force users. And she was right: his inexperience showed. It would have been a successful hit, had he not tried to parry last second. Kahlei abruptly pulled away.

If she could disarm him again, she could strike without worrying about her light sabers switching off.

Trying her plan, Kahlei sent a series of strikes towards him. He avoided them, but wasn't ready for the final elbow strike. His armour wasn't cortosis and took the entire blow. The power behind her attack caused the vibrosword to fly out of his hands. She tried to land several quick blows. She failed at that, but succeeded in her real plan of forcing him further away from his weapon. After gaining some ground, she began to properly attempt to hit him. But Verep wasn't without skill. Now he no longer had a vibrosword, he moved even quicker. She almost felt like he could predict her every move. Almost.

He'd been unable to predict one blow and her light sabers came crashing down on his collarbone. He screamed out in agony and was silenced as she made her final strike.

Verep lay dead at her feet.

The crowd roared with excitement. Kahlei grinned and rested one foot on the corpse. She raised her light sabers. The crowd went even wilder. Scourge had been right; she'd enjoyed the fight.

Kahlei froze.

She... she enjoyed the fight?

She whirled around to look at Scourge and Ashara. Wait. Scourge was smiling? And Ashara. No, Ashara was beaming. She'd expected the Jedi to be disgusted. What?

As the adrenaline wore off, Kahlei found herself feeling more and more sickened over her feelings. She'd killed someone. In cold blood.

But that wasn't what terrified her...

...She'd enjoyed it.

Stepping into the horde of people, hands patted her back. Scourge leant towards her and muttered, "We have some time if you want to participate in another round. You really enjoyed that, hm, Jedi?"

Kahlei stared at him, horrified. There was no way she could ever hide anything from him. He was too observant. Sure, she had made a physical display of cheering but the way Scourge said it, it sounded like he'd seen the darkness that skulked about inside her heart.

"Hey, I thought you were a goner there for a minute, Kahlei!" Ashara shouted over to her. Kahlei forced a smile and pushed past the Sith who blocked her path. He moved out of her way and followed her to Giradda.

The Hutt clapped as he saw her approaching him. "A magnificent fight, Jedi. Very impressive. Kabbura asked me how much you cost. I told him you were my favourite warrior and not for hire."

Kahlei felt her temper rising. This Hutt had made her fight the Rattataki. It was his fault she'd had those venomous thoughts. "I'm not yours, Hutt." She spat the word at him. "You'd better upheld your end of our deal." The 'or else' was implied by the menacing look she gave him.

She stopped.

No.

That's the sort of thing Scourge did. That's how he had been with the Imperials. But this? This wasn't her. She was a Jedi; she didn't intimidate people like this.

Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, she recited the code.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

"After a fight like that? Of course I will!" The Hutt held a stubby hand out for his holocomm. After entering Zander's frequency, a twi'lek slave passed it to him. "Zander."

A chiss man with chin length dark hair appeared on the holocomm. "Giradda."

"Why're taking so long? I don't pay you to take your time!"

Zander clenched his jaw, seething. "Look, Hutt. I'm one of the best there is. If I got a problem with this, everyone else will, too."

"What problem?"

"The target's not alone. He's got this Mandalorian with him."

Giradda sighed. "You meet my enforcer at these coordinates. You do this together. No funny business or I put a bounty on your head."

That Hutt should have had a career in acting. Upon thinking that, Kahlei felt herself brighten up. She shrugged off the guilt she felt over her feelings. It had probably been the adrenaline. And the crowd hadn't helped, either.

"Where is he?"

"Taris."

Kahlei folded her arms. "What's he doing all the way out on Taris?"

"He's after the Houk who killed a good business partner: one I quite liked. This Houk is a key member of a rapidly growing crime syndicate called the Black Sun. The Exchange already attempts to rival the Cartel's power and we don't need the Black Sun trying the same thing," he said, being surprisingly open. "If you dealt with this Houk, Skadge, I would be most grateful."

Oh, so that was why he'd been so open. Kahlei frowned. If she said no, then he might get angry and sabotage her meeting. "Maybe. I'll have a think." It was best to keep the Hutt sweet.

"I'd pay you lots of credits!"

"Yeah, yeah."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one switches around with perspectives more than others. I hope the line makes it clear enough.

* * *

"Uh, hey, Master Satele."

"Kira." The Grand Master bowed her head, out of habit, but she didn't look very pleased. "Have you managed to make contact with Kahlei yet?"

Kira frowned. Since when did the Grand Master not address a Jedi Master as Master? Had Kahlei been officially stripped of her title? Did they still see her as a member of the Order? "I tried to speak to her over holo, but she wouldn't answer. So, then I tried finding her presence through the force." Searching for someone's life aura was difficult, but Kira was well attuned to Kahlei's. And Kahlei's shone brightly.

"And how did that turn out?"

"Well, I managed to pinpoint her location on Hoth. But we must have just missed her."

"Hoth? We have evidence that she's currently on Nar Shaddaa." Kira already knew that; she'd sensed her there. But Kira had avoided confronting her friend again, knowing that it would turn out like the previous encounter had.

"Yeah, uh, Hoth was a few days ago. What's she up to on Nar Shaddaa?"

The Grand Master didn't reply. Instead, she forwarded some footage to Kira's holocomm.

She watched Kahlei fight against Rattataki. Wait- She was pit fighting? As Kahlei rolled to the floor, Kira felt her breath catch in her throat. Although it'd been a struggle, thankfully she pulled through at the end.

But the fight wasn't what caught her eye, nor did she think it was what caught the Council's. Kira studied the expression on Kahlei's face. She looked so... savage. So caught up in blood lust. Was that really the Jedi she once knew?

At the end of the recording, Master Satele appeared back on screen. "As you can imagine, we're worried that a Jedi Champion has fallen so easily."

Kira nodded. She'd found it equally disturbing. Was Kahlei really that far gone? Back on Hoth, she'd been shocked to find her dressed in Sith attire and at her attitude towards the Council. Sure, she herself didn't always see eye to eye with them, but she still respected them. Kahlei's tone, however, had been far from respectful. And she'd seemed so paranoid about the Order accepting Praven. Kahlei had lost it.

"Master, I still believe I'll be able to convince her she's wrong."

"Have you not had chance to speak to her at all?"

"No," she lied. Hopefully she'd be able to buy herself and Kahlei more time. "But I know it'll be fine when I speak to her." Another lie.

The Grand Master paused, eyeing Kira with great care. "Very well. If you need backup, don't hesitate to ask. If Kahlei refuses, then the Order will need to take immediate action. Coruscant is running out of time."

Kira swallowed. The time limit.

How was she going to improve her combat skills in less than two weeks? And even if she improved, would it be enough to equal Kahlei's? Would it be enough to save Kahlei?

She needed a plan. And fast.

* * *

Nar Shaddaa, again. Vette beamed, gazing up into the dazzling lights. It really was one giant rainbow, complete with a hidden pot of gold. You just had to know where to look. And that was usually under a Hutt.

She placed her had hands on her hips, tsking at herself. Now wasn't the time to celebrate her freedom; she a job to do. Sure, work and no play was no fun. So, after she successfully found out her "Old friends", she'd allow herself to explore Nar Shaddaa. For the Hundredth time.

Her favourite cantina on Nar Shaddaa was easily the Slippery Slopes. The crowd there was great. Yeah, it could get rough at times, but nowhere near as rough as others. Besides, a boisterous cantina made it easier for a sneaky little Twi'lek to loot the pockets of her unwitting victims.

As Vette entered the cantina, she reminded herself that she had some serious work to do and had to force herself away from the pazaak tables. She spotted her old friend (an old friend she actually remembered) and crawled into the booth with him.

Urgh, he looked even grubbier than he had when he'd contacted her on the ship. Did this guy even know what a refresher was?

"Ew, go take a shower. You stink."

The pale yellow twi'lek's nonexistent eyebrow twitched. "I haven't seen you in years and that's how you greet me?"

"Hi, Nu'ro, haven't seen you in years!" Vette waved her hand at him, mocking.

He sighed, knowing better than to make a point out of her attitude. "How did you get here?"

"Uh, usually people fly. With a ship."

"I mean because of the Sith."

"Oh, relax, she's as cuddly as a stuffed bantha."

"Yeah, I'm sure she is."

"She is!"

"She just let you come here?"

"Well," Vette said, "Not exactly."

"Great, you've got a sith after you." Nu'ro face palmed, knocking over his glass of Nikta in the process.

Vette laughed as he cursed at her. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"It's a waste of perfectly good Nikta."

"Well, it's your own fault. Besides, you should have been a gentleman and offered a lady a drink."

"You? A lady?" Nu'ro scoffed.

"Hey!" She protested, flicking her Lekku over her shoulders.

After the table was wiped clean and Nu'ro had ordered them both drinks (reluctantly paying for Vette's), they finally got down to business. "So, you want to know about your friends?"

"Uh, they're not my friends," she said, hands behind her head. "I lied so you'd shut up. I have no idea who those people are."

Vette blinked as he drained the remaining drops from his glass. What? He'd finished his already? That guy had some serious problems. Nu'ro put his glass down, shaking his head at her. He looked far from impressed. "You know you could be in trouble, right?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she shrugged. "What did they say?"

"I only caught bits. Said they were looking for you, but then started asking about some guy called Zander. Weird."

Zander? Wasn't that the chiss mercenary Xaryia had hired?

Vette frowned. From the conversations she'd overheard, she knew Xaryia had paid Zander to steal the weapon from some lab on Tatooine. Xaryia had told her that the Jedi Order sheltered the sith she was after, so were the people claiming to be her 'old friends' really Jedi? Were they trying to find the weapon?

Well, Vette hoped they were Jedi and that they found the weapon. Otherwise millions of people would die at the hands of her friend. But she banished it instantly, knowing that her Sith friend would have likely murdered her for such a 'treacherous' thought.

Why had they been asking about her and not Xaryia? Did Xaryia know that people were snooping around?

"Were they Jedi?"

"Didn't look like it."

"They could've dressed normally?"

"Didn't act like it, either."

"They could have been acting?" Wow, she was starting to sound as paranoid as Xaryia.

He shrugged. "Dunno. What makes you think it's Jedi business, anyway?"

"Ehh, might be looking for my sith."

" _Your_ sith?"

"We're friends.  _Were._  Not sure now."

And then somehow, Nu'ro managed to get her to tell him her life story. Well, the Xaryia story, anyway.

* * *

Kira had a plan. Not a great one, but nonetheless a plan.

The crew had insisted on accompanying her, but this was something she wanted to do alone. Besides, they'd all find speaking to a retired Jedi Master boring. And she was planning on making it a long chat.

Armed with temporary freedom, they all parted their separate ways at House Organa's space port. She set course for the mountains.

It felt like an eternity ago since she went on her pilgrimage to Master Cyman Walz as a padawan. Out of all jedi she'd ever met, he was easily the wisest. Hopefully he'd have wise words on the matter and maybe even a few tricks to share.

Kira pulled her speeder up outside the poorly built cottage that looked exactly how she remembered. The Jedi Master was meditating atop the hill. It was no wonder he'd decided to live here: you could see all of Alderaan.

"Master Walz?"

Master Cyman Walz opened an eye. Upon realising it was her, he smiled and opened the other. "Kira." He studied her. "I can sense worry - fear in you." When she started to say something, he waved a hand to stop her. "No, do not be afraid of your emotions. It is natural to feel them. But there is no need to have them, for whatever is bothering you, the force will guide you through it. Trust in the force, Kira."

Kira moved to sit cross legged beside him, staring out at the landscape. It was so serene and the vastness made her feel insignificant. "Master, the Council want me to do whatever's necessary to stop my friend. I can't, and I know it's wrong of me, but I don't want to."

Cyman made a 'hmm'ing noise and returned to his meditative position. "Tell me everything, Kira."

She recounted the tale to him - about how Wrath wanted to destroy Coruscant for one man, about how Kahlei risked Coruscant to save the said one man, about how the Council wanted her to stop Kahlei and about how she suspected a great darkness lay inside her friend's heart.

When she'd finished, Cyman just smiled, almost laughing at her? "You're as naive as you were as a padawan, Kira. I would have done the same as Master Kahlei. As would the Council."

"I don't understand. The Council want to stop Kahlei."

"No, that's what they 'officially' want. If they really wanted to stop her, do you think they'd send one jedi after her? No. They would send at least half a dozen masters."

"Then why did they send me?"

"If Master Kahlei fails, then they can honestly say to the Republic that they sent jedi after her. But do you really think the Council would want to bow down to the Empire, Kira? Some Senators would, out of cowardice. But our Order isn't made up of those cowards. They sent you to help her, whilst not acting against the Republic or this Wrath."

She shook her head in disbelief. This was crazy. "How do you know this?"

Cyman chuckled. "I've known each individual member of the Council for a very long tim.."

"But the Grand Master seemed so worried about Kahlei being on Nar Shaddaa."

"Perhaps she is worried your friend has given up on her quest?" He smiled again, only warmth and kindness in his eyes. "You say that you and the Order are worried about the growing darkness inside that jedi. We all have darkness in us and it is part of nature. Our training teaches us to control it so it has no influence over us. But that requires stability. Now think, how would you feel if you believed that the Order and your friends were against you?"

"Lonely."

"Precisely. It's no wonder that she's beginning to doubt and that causes the darkness to free itself. But you will be able to guide her back towards the light, Kira. I have great faith in you."

If only she had great faith in herself. Maybe when they next met, it wouldn't turn out quite like it had on Hoth.

* * *

Vette watched as Nu'ro's eyes widened in horror. Before she had chance to turn around, a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken off that shock collar!"

She was face to face with the furious looking sith. "I ... um... I... um..." In the end she settled for a lousy, "Sorry."

"You will be."

But they were friends. Surely Xaryia wouldn't hurt her? Vette bowed her head in shame (and mostly fear). "You were so so busy with everything and I didn't want to worry you, so I came to investigate myself."

"Investigate what?"

"Uhm, apparently people were asking about Zander."

"He does lots of other jobs."

"But they were also asking about me."

Xaryia folded her arms, contemplating. Vette let go of the breath that she'd been holding. The sith didn't look happy, but the anger didn't seem to be directed at her. "Who are they? Jedi?"

Vette turned to Nu'ro, signalling for him to speak. Reluctantly and mostly terrified, he answered. "They didn't seem like it."

"But then I said 'maybe they're in disguise'?"

"Shut up." After the sith's remark, Vette made a show of clamping her mouth shut, zipping it, locking it and then throwing away the key. Xaryia didn't seem amused. "Names?"

"No idea. Said they were old friends of Vette's."

Xaryia frowned and reached for her holo. "Perhaps they were just asking if anyone else was able to contact Vette?

"Yeah, that's what I thought it might've been when I heard them."

She just nodded, punching the mercenary's frequency in.

The chiss gave her a mock salute. "You need something else doing?"

"No."

"Look, darlin', nice of you to call for a quick chat, but I got other work to do."

Vette grinned at the man. He suuuure had guts.

"Do you enjoy living?" Xaryia raised her hand, threateningly. "If you do, I suggest you speak to me with respect."

The mercenary gripped his neck as he felt it tighten. "Sorry, my Lord. What can I do for you for your most graciousness?"

Vette stifled a giggle. Luckily, for this guy, Xaryia didn't seem to notice to notice his sarcasm. Or maybe she didn't care.

"I wanted to check that nothing unexpected is happening."

"No, nothing. Uh, I gotta go meet some guy. See you, my Lord." His image fizzled out.

Xaryia turned to face both of the twi'leks. She narrowed her eyes at Vette. "Allow me to handle this next time. It's none of your business, slave."

Once, being referred to as 'slave' by her 'ex-best friend' had hurt. A lot. But now, it had become so usual that she simply shrugged it off. "Sure thing." Worried about the carefree tone used, she hastily added, "Uh, m'Lord."

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As EmpressRaven asked, Xaryia's (Wrath) name is pronounced Zar-ee-ah.   
> Kahlei is Kah-lay (lay as in Leia).
> 
> Also, Mandalore the Vindicated (the one in game) is of Clan Lok. The bounty hunter is accepted into his clan, so I assumed he'd be of Clan Lok, too. I really can't remember if it says otherwise, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Taris.

Apart from the toxic waste and rakghouls, it was probably the best planet they'd been to. Ashara didn't seem to think so, however. She'd refused to get off the ship and so it was just Scourge and herself. Kahlei had tried pressing her further, but she'd been incredibly stubborn about it. At first, she'd insisted that it was because the rakghouls spooked her, but Kahlei had gotten to know the togruta well enough to know that her pride would have stopped her from admitting to being so scared of something. Eventually, she confessed that it brought back memories she'd rather forget. Kahlei couldn't get her to share what those memories were, though. But she made a mental note to try again later. After all, that little hypocrite always told her that sharing helped would help her to feel better.

Kahlei was tempted to ask Scourge if he remembered the destruction of Taris. He probably did, he was like a walking holocron. But she stopped herself, knowing that she didn't want to hear how 'glorious' all the suffering was. So, instead, she opted for silence.

A gust of wind made the tall ruins above them creek. Kahlei glanced up, hoping they wouldn't get crushed. It was eerie out here and she felt like they were constantly being watched. She shook the feeling off. In the distance, she could hear the cries of wild beasts and rakghouls. If they were being watched, it'd probably be some kind of animal. Or rakghoul. Besides, Scourge was highly observant and would have said if he thought something was off. As a padawan she never imagined that one day she'd be relying on a sith. Then again, he was far from your typical sith.

Kahlei thought back to when she'd been pit fighting and Scourge had grabbed her shoulder at the side of the ring. For a moment, she could have sworn that she'd seen a look of genuine concern across his face. Had he finally come to see her as a friend? He'd previously made it clear that they weren't nor would they ever be because he didn't 'require friends', but maybe he'd changed his mind on friendship? A little voice in her mind taunted her, asking if she wanted something more. She tried her best to ignore it.

"So, glad that you agreed to let me help you?" Kahlei tried her best to make her tone sound smug: an attempt to hide her true question.

"I don't remember agreeing to it. You didn't give me a choice."

"But are you glad I didn't give you a choice?"

Scourge frowned as he thought. "As I've said before, I could have hidden away from the galaxy and allowed Coruscant to fall."

"Then you'd have been alone."

"I suppose."

To her surprise, the 'I like being alone' reply that she'd been expecting never came. Kahlei widened her eyes. He'd almost implied that being alone wasn't all that great.

Scourge just chuckled at her reaction. "You entertain me, Jedi."

"Entertain you?"

"Yes, you amuse me."

Kahlei grinned, triumphantly. "That means we're friends, right?"

"Perhaps."

He certainly hadn't denied it. Kahlei took it as a yes. So, had that actually been concern she'd seen on his face? Although he'd originally refused her friendship, he'd almost admitted that it went both ways. Had she finally managed to break through the shields he threw up around himself? Did that mean she was affecting him as much as he was affecting her?

"You seem so happy over something so trivial, Jedi."

"It's not trivial. Friends are important."

He rolled his eyes. Well, maybe she still had to push him a little more. Uh, a lot.

Giradda's coordinates lead them to a starship wreckage: the Endar Spire, Scourge had told her. She'd already guessed so, however, from her history lessons back at the Jedi Academy. They both entered through the small door; Scourge had to duck. To no surprise, the only lighting in here came from outside. Squinting, she could make out two figures in armour that was bulky enough to make Scourge's look light. There was a height and width difference between them both, but it was nowhere near as severe as the one between herself and Scourge. Was one of Zander?

The shorter one turned away from whatever he was studying. As the daylight hit him, she realised that actually he wasn't the chiss. Instead, he was your average human male with messy brown hair. He was just so plain looking. The only remarkable thing about him was the well used Mandalorian armour he wore. So, this must have been the Mandalorian Zander had mentioned. And as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, the man behind him appeared to be a houk - Skadge, if she remembered correctly.

The man's brows furrowed as he spoke to her. "Why are you here, Jedi?" He didn't raise his voice and didn't sound hostile in the slightest. He was calm.

Kahlei folded her arms. Although she had a very good idea, she asked, "Why are you here?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scourge nod his approval.

"We believe that we are being hunted. The trail lead us here, but the hunter is not here. However, it appears he has been and has moved camp when he suspected we'd find him." Yeah, there was no doubt this was the Mandalorian Zander had been worried about.

"Let's kill this puny Jedi," the Houk said as he reached for his blaster.

The Mandalorian raised a hand to steady him. The Houk's upper lip began to twitch, but obeyed. "Forgive my companion, he just really hates jedi." He leant back against a box behind him. "So, why are you here?"

They both seemed to be after a common enemy, so surely being truthful wouldn't hurt? She saw Scourge narrow her eyes as she responded, "I'm looking for the mercenary myself. The same Hutt that sent him to kill your friend sent me the coordinates to here. This is where we were meant to be meeting. He has something I need."

"Why does this Hutt want him dead?"

"Uh," Kahlei thought back to the conversation she'd had with Giradda. "He killed a Hutt called Nem'ro and he wants to show that nobody stands against the Cartel and lives."

The Houk just grunted, not really bothered.

"How about we work together on this one, Jedi?"

She'd had already made a deal with Darth Nox and with Giradda. Not that Darth Nox had been very helpful so far. Maybe she'd just assumed that they'd want to get rid of Scourge's curse, anyway. Well, she had assumed right.

Kahlei reigned her thoughts back in, focussing on the present. She'd made two deals already, where was the harm in a third? "Sure."

The Mandalorian stepped closer and held out his hand for her to shake it. She accepted. He gestured to himself. "Cioden, of Clan Lok." He pointed to the Houk. "Skadge." Skadge grunted in response.

"I'm Kahlei, he's Scourge."

"I thought he was your sith captive." Kahlei was about to laugh, thinking Cioden's comment had been a joke, but then notice how serious he looked. This man was really uptight. For a moment, she thought Scourge might have actually tried to force choke this man for such a comment. Thankfully, he didn't.

"No, no, we're friends." She tried to put as much emphasis as she could on 'friends', adding a hint of smugness in her tone. Scourge must have got her reference to their earlier conversation, because he sighed and didn't look very happy. Then again, when did he look happy?

The Mandalorian wasted no time in getting back to business. She had to give it to him: he was very professional. "You should contact the Hutt and get him to rearrange your meeting with the bounty hunter."

Nodding, she reached for her holocomm and dialled Giradda's frequency. Hopefully he'd be cooperative.

"My favourite gladiator! Did your meeting go well?" She didn't like how he highlighted the 'my'.

"No," Kahlei said, "He didn't even show up. Rearrange it."

The Hutt stroked his chin. "Hmm, no. Our deal is over. Unless you want to make a new deal? You fight again, then I tell him to meet you again."

"No." She really didn't have time for Giradda's games. Kahlei put her hands on her hips, scowling. "Do you need me to come and make you suffer as that Rattataki did?" But the Hutt didn't seem convinced at her threat, so she added, "As the Emperor did?"

That seemed to hit a nerve. Giradda waved his arms, frantically. "I'll do it now." Spineless cowards.

Giradda hadn't been lying: he'd literally got straight to his task. A few minutes later, he contacted Kahlei, saying that she was to meet Zander in an hour at the new coordinates sent.

The four of them set off on their trek to the new meeting location. As they passed over a durasteel rickety bridge, Kahlei gazed at the flowing water beneath them. It looked so murky and polluted. She tried to picture how Taris once was, but struggled to see past the ruins and wilderness. Cioden proved to be useful, as he managed to easily steer them around Rakghoul nests. The new location was the only cave in the area that wasn't Rakghoul infested. They still had a lot of time to wait before the designated meeting time, so Kahlei sat down on the floor. It was damp and cold, but it was better than standing up. Cioden and Skadge remained hidden outside, keeping watch for Zander. Scourge sat beside Kahlei as they waited.

"I'm pleased to see that you're no longer afraid to use intimidation to get what you want," he said, once the other two were out of earshot.

She supposed he meant her conversation with Giradda and decided not to answer. He was right: she no longer hesitated to do it. Before she'd turned away from the Council, she would have refused to lower herself to a tool that sith regularly used. Instead, she would have ran about on her errands for Giradda and this would have been a waste of time. And now, she was justifying it and felt no regret. Kahlei bit her lip. Was she falling to the dark side?

She glanced at Scourge, who was staring at the back wall. He'd be able to measure how bad this was. Although, he'd be extremely biased to the Dark Side. But did she have anyone else to talk about this with? There was Ashara, maybe, but she didn't have over three hundred years of dealing with Sith and Jedi. And Ashara would have pushed her back towards the light. But being pushed back towards the light was good. That's what she wanted, right?

Kahlei continued to chew on her lip, until she felt it sting. Trying to look as casual as possible, she wiped away the small amount of blood that had begun to form. As usual, her attempt failed. Nothing she ever did managed to slip past him.

"Something bothering you, Jedi?"

"I... uh... no."

Not that she fooled Scourge. He eyed her carefully, intrigued. "Really?"

She'd been about to say yes, but stopped. Maybe he'd have something interesting to say about it? So, she opted for blurting out, "Do you think I'm falling to the Dark Side?"

Kahlei waited for him to burst out laughing or to use the opportunity to tempt her to the darkness. Instead, Scourge lifted an eye ridge. Apparently he hadn't been expecting that one. "Why do you ask?"

"I, uh, figured you've probably met quite a few dark jedi before and I wondered if you thought I was like them."

Scourge turned round so that he was sat opposite her and paused for a moment, taking time to choose his words. "I know that you are curious about the dark side - captivated by the unknown... the forbiddenness. You find it exhilarating. Yet, I also know that despite your curiosity, you firmly cling onto the light the jedi brainwashed you with."

Kahlei remained silent, simply tilting her head and waited for him to continue his analysis of her.

"But no, I don't believe you are truly falling. Not yet, anyway."

"But I will if I continue down this path?"

"Maybe."

So, at least Scourge didn't think she was in the 'state of falling'. That made her feel slightly more relaxed. There was still time to control the darkness before it began to control her. If she focussed herself, she would be able to lock it away again. But would it be that easy?

"If you ever change your mind about the dark side, I would gladly make you stronger."

Kahlei supposed that was his idea of a comforting line. But as much as she mocked it, part of her did feel comforted by his words.

That was what scared her.


	14. Chapter 14

Feeling numbness in her right leg, she shifted her weight to the other side, stirring from her meditation. She'd seized the opportunity to gather her thoughts. As she opened her eyes, she could make out Cioden's figure standing in the mouth of the cave, blocking out the sunlight.

"He should have been here an hour ago. Must've seen us together at the Endar Spire."

"We need a better plan." Kahlei rose from the floor, feeling pins and needles across both her legs. Noticing her move, Scourge did the same. Not that he'd have felt the tingling sensation like herself. "So, we know Zander's after Skadge..."

"I'm not playing bait!" The Houk protested.

The Mandalorian remained sat in the grass, polishing his blaster. He didn't turn to face them as he said, "Not gonna work. He's not stupid enough to fall for something like that."

Collapsing into the dewy grass beside Cioden, Kahlei almost strained her neck as she looked up to Scourge as he spoke. "I suspect he's watching us right now."

"You mean he's here?" Kahlei asked. Was Scourge able to sense the man's presence through the force? Even she couldn't.

"No. From what we've seen, he's proven that he has at least a shred of intelligence. I'd guess that he set up hidden cameras before we arrived."

Cioden stopped what he was doing and turned so his back was no longer to them, frowning. He always seemed to be frowning. Even if he wasn't, Kahlei thought he'd still have deep crease lines. "If we find them, we can slice into them and find where he's operating from."

Searching the area, they managed to find several cameras hidden in the foliage. Cioden pulled out a datapad from the backpack he always carried around. After a lot button pressing and frowning, he traced the signal back to where Zander's lair was.

"Where did you learn that?"

He shrugged, continuing to pack away his belongings. "That was nothing, especially compared to who taught me. That girl's the best slicer I know." But the Mandalorian had nothing else to say and so the four of them walked in silence.

Kahlei stared out at the landscape, retreating to her own thoughts. Where was Kira? Was she planning on confronting her again? Did she hate her? Maybe she should have let the crew join her. Maybe then the Council wouldn't have controlled Kira.

* * *

_Kahlei watched as Kira gulped down the jasmine tea she'd made for her. Kira wiped it away from her mouth and sat the cup down. She glanced round at the crew - all were present, before asking, "So, who would you have been if you weren't the sort of person you are today?"_

_Doc grinned, leaning back in the chair with his hands behind his head. "Multi billionaire. A philanthropist, of course. With lots of twi'lek sla-" He quickly stopped, noticing the expressions of the two Jedi before him. "Beautiful,_ _**willing** _ _twi'lek servants." Kira threw a peculiar looking fruit that they'd picked up from one of Tatooine's market stands at him. But he caught it and bit into it, laughing._

_They all turned to Kahlei, curious. "My parents were jedi. I was destined to become one."_

_"Heh, figured you'd say something like that. Me? Hmmm. I'd have liked to be a senator. Maybe I still will when all of this is over."_

* * *

As she remembered that particular conversation they'd had shortly before facing the Emperor, she couldn't help but long for their family unit to be complete once more. It was the Council's fault. They'd pushed her to turn away from them. They'd driven Kira to oppose her.

She felt her anger rise. But she managed to control it as quickly as it began. And that brought her relief. This was something she could handle. If she were to fall, she'd have fallen already.

Cioen came to a halt and motioned towards some ruins. Zander's camp had been cleared out. There was nothing left. However, he appeared to have been rushing as he'd still left traces that he'd been there. Obviously he'd been watching his cameras as they uncovered them and had left before they could catch him.

"Shame he's not stupid. Then we wouldn't have to run round after him."

Cioden put his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet whilst he concentrated. His eyes were narrowed, and of course was frowning, as he scanned the area for clues. Kneeling beside the burnt out fire, he turned and said, "He's not been gone long. Should still be on the move." Kahlei was about to sit down on the dirt, before Cioden shooed her away. "Don't ruin the trail!"

She glanced over the spot she'd about to sit in and noticed footprints. "Heh, he's not clever enough to hide his tracks."

"No," Cioden said, beginning to follow them, "He was in a rush."

As the Mandalorian showed off his tracking skills, he gave them a running commentary of what a person's footprints could tell you. Apparently you could tell their height by stride length and weight by depth. But Kahlei tuned him out; it wasn't very interesting.

A few times, he had to pause, as the track began to fade out. Luckily, he managed to pick it back up. Then he decided to start lecturing them on animal prints. Although his open enthusiasm for tracking was starting to annoy her, he did prevent them from stepping on several landmines Zander had hastily set up. So, she was thankful for that.

The trail stopped in the middle of Taris's ruined lower city. Cioden took a step forward and several nearby droids activated. Kahlei was just glad that it had been the hunter that had caused their activation, rather than herself. If it had been her, he'd have sent her an accusing glare and lectured her on being cautious.

Kahlei and Scourge immediately leapt towards the droids before they began to open fire. Cioden and the Houk left them to take care of it. The droids were nothing spectacular and easily fell to pieces.

As soon as the last one fell, the chiss leapt out of his hiding place. He grinned, gesturing to what appeared to be a detonator. His finger hovered above the button. "One step closer and this whole area goes up in flames, Jedi."

She didn't lower her lightsabers. Instead, she gripped them tighter. "So would you."

"I won't tell you what you want. If I do, she'll kill me. I prefer going out like this."

Kahlei reached for the light and tried to create a mental blanket around Zander, to soothe him. "We'll protect you." She heard Scourge snort with laughter, scoffing at her Light Side method.

But this tactic didn't work, instead he seemed even angrier. She hoped it was simply his resistance, rather than her failure to connect with the light. "No. If I tell you what you want, at best you'll send me to some high security prison for the rest of my life. You think I want that? I'd rather dying-"

He was caught off as a blaster bolt shot into his detonator hand. Cioden must have snuck round behind him. The man screeched in agony and Kahlei dived for the device. Luckily, she caught it before it hit the floor. When Zander turned round to aim for Cioden, Scourge sent a back handed fist towards his temple, knocking him out. Roughly, he threw the man over his shoulder and followed Cioden towards his hideout.

The Mandalorian's hastily built camp wasn't too far away. Kahlei wrinkled her nose at the dirt and dampness of the ruined building he'd picked. At least Cioden had decided to add some chairs. They tied him to one and waited for him to regain consciousness.

When he did, Kahlei immediately leapt towards him, wanting to end this peacefully if possible. She waved her hand in front of the chiss. "You will tell me everything you know about the isotope - 5 weapon."

"Ha. You think I'm stupid? I know a Jedi trick when I see one." He began to wrestle with the restraints that held him firmly in the chair. Realising it was pointless, he turned his attention back to Kahlei. "You won't-"

He was cut off as Scourge began to squeeze the life out of him. He coughed and spluttered but showed no indication of surrender. Scourge released him just before he became unconscious. Zander spat in Scourge's direction and laughed. Annoyed at his reaction, Scourge force choked him, again. This time, the chiss had the sense not to spit or laugh.

Cioden stood up from his seat, wanting to have a try at getting the mercenary to speak, but Scourge raised his hand to stop him. He pulled out a chair and sat opposite Zander. Being the Emperor's Wrath for over three hundred years, Kahlei guessed he'd had a lot of practice at interrogation.

"You have one last chance to speak. If you don't, you'll regret it."

The chiss lifted his head, turning away from the Sith. "I won't."

"She must have paid you awfully well for you to ignore your sensibilities." Kahlei watched as Scourge observed the man's expressions with great care. "Or are you paralysed by your fear? Coward." He laughed. "I can inflict such pain that makes Wrath's look merciful." He frowned, trying to sense Zander's emotions and then continued, sneering, "Or do you care for her?" Kahlei, too, could feel Zander's emotions begin to rise. Scourge had hit it on the mark. "And you think she feels the same way? Pathetic." He sent a bolt of lightning towards Zander, much like the one he used when unarmed in battle. Kahlei turned her head away as his shrieks pierced her ears and at the smell of singed flesh. "You think she's even capable such petty feelings? You allowed yourself to be manipulated into being her puppet. Even now, you refuse to see your own idiocy. And you will pay the price." Scourge reached for the dark side and shocked the man with an even greater lightning strike.

Zander gasped for air and grit his teeth, trying to endure the pain. "Kill me. I'm not talking."

"I will do far worse than killing you. But I don't think you'll enjoy it as much as I will." When Scourge proceeded break one of Zander's fingers, Kahlei nearly vomited at the sound. Sure, Scourge was a Sith and had been the Emperor's personal executioner, so she'd known that this sort of thing was an area of expertise. But she'd never imagined she'd witness him doing this. She'd seen him choke answers out of people, she'd also seen him kill. But she'd never seen him torture and wished it was something she could unsee.

Scourge then force shocked Zander again, the intensity increasing.

"You monster!"

Scourge tutted. "No, you're inflicting this upon yourself. I gave you plenty of opportunities to change your mind, but you refused." He began to crush the man's windpipe. This was far from how he usually force choked someone. This was a slightly modified version that allowed for even more pain. Kahlei could just about make herself sit through this, knowing that the torture would bring them closer to saving Coruscant. But when she saw the sadistic grin across Scourge's face, she had to run away from the scene.

From where she sat outside, she could still her the screams and they were still equally disturbing. But at least now she didn't have to watch Scourge. She could feel the man's pain so vividly. Once, everything had been so clear: it was simply her mission to stop suffering - to stop those causing it. Now, she did nothing to prevent it. She simply allowed this man to suffer, convincing herself that it was the price of one for many.

Eventually, the shrieking came to an end. A few minutes later, Scourge stepped out.

"Alderaan."

Kahlei nodded and climbed to her feet, still disgusted by what she'd witnessed. The two of them walked in an uncomfortable silence until she found it in her to speak. "I.. um.. Is he alive?"

"The Mandalorian plans for him to be a message to Giradda, showing what happens to those who seek to oppose his people." Kahlei nodded once again at his words, this time trying to hold her stomach back. He turned to regard her, an observant look that was far too similar to the one he'd previously had for her liking. "Do you hate me now, Jedi?"

"Is that what you were aiming for?"

"I was aiming to extract information as quickly as possible because  _you_  want to save Coruscant." Kahlei noted that he turned it onto her, making it sound like he'd done this for her; that it was her fault. It was similar to a technique he'd employed on his recent victim. "But you didn't answer my question."

Kahlei couldn't bring herself to look at him, in fear of seeing the terrifying expressions she'd seen upon his face once again. Instead, she opted for the horizon. "I don't hate you, just what you did." She shuddered, remembering the scene.

This caused the Sith to frown as he thought. "Yet you didn't stop me."

"It was necessary."

"One man's suffering is necessary for the greater good? Isn't that what the Council told you? That my suffering was necessary for the greater good? Not that I'd have suffered, of course."

"That's different."

"How so?"

How was it different? Because he was her friend? Or was it because she had a soft spot for him? Kahlei's bottom lip trembled as she struggled against her rage. "What? So now you're defending the Council?"

"No."

"Then what point are you trying to make?!"

"None."

"You're implying I'm a hypocrite!"

"No." He stopped and grabbed her arm, spinning her round. "I was simply curious as to your reaction." Her reaction... Had her outburst been what he'd predicted? She then felt self conscious, embarrassed by her anger. "I've told you this before and it seems that I must again." In a similar fashion to what he'd done previously, he lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him in eye. "Don't be ashamed of your emotions." This only caused her face to redden as she remembered when he'd told her the same thing about her lust. Scourge just laughed. But it wasn't a wicked laugh nor was it mocking, instead it almost seemed friendly.

"Did you enjoy torturing him?"

"No. You forget that I cannot feel any form of enjoyment."

"You can feel amusement. Did it amuse you?"

"By amusement I don't mean the light hearted humour that goes hand in hand with enjoyment. When I say I'm amused, I simply mean that I appreciate the wit: the alternative outlook on a matter. I merely found it interesting that he endured such torture for a pathetic reason." Kahlei had decided to completely forgive his behaviour until he decided to add, "But had I been able to feel emotion, I would have certainly enjoyed it."

* * *

Vette watched as Xaryia froze in mid conversation with another Sith Lord on her holocomm. Xaryia simply stared down at a device in her hand, ignoring the other Sith's questions. Not even bothering to excuse herself, she switched the holocomm off.

"'What's up?" Vette peered closer towards whatever it was she was looking it. Was it some kind of warning? "Uh, my Lord."

Xaryia's head snapped up and she stormed over to plot coordinates for the ship. Although she was tempted to repeat her question, she could feel the anger seeping out of the Sith. She didn't even need to be force sensitive for that. Not that Vette needed to know what was up, anyway. She already knew that wherever they were headed would involve doom, despair and more doom.


	15. Chapter 15

"Ehh, Alderaan? You sure? Doesn't really sound like the place they'd have chosen to hide it." The togruta had made herself very comfy whilst Kahlei and Scourge had been away. Sure, Kahlei had told Ashara to make herself at home, but she'd really taken it to heart. She sat curled up with a blanket on the sofa, browsing the holonet and had eaten most of their food supply. She'd also made no effort to hide the evidence of the feast and the sofa was covered with food wrappings.

"That's why they chose it."

Ashara just shrugged at the Sith's reply. Kahlei collapsed beside her, stealing food that was rightfully hers. Uninterested, Scourge left.

"Have fun?"

"Yeah. Walking through swamps and watching Scourge torture someone really was the highlight of my life."

Ashara buried her head in the now empty sweets bag, trying to hide her giggling. "See? I told you Taris is a horrible place."

"C2!" The droid came running in, eager to serve his master. "Set the ship for Alderaan."

C2 bowed several times and made various 'Yes, Master'-style comments, before finally getting to his task. Kahlei pulled some of Ashara's blanket to cover her and received a mock angry glare. "So, why do you really hate Taris?"

"Just do," Ashara said with her mouth full of muja fruit pie.

Kahlei wagged a finger in front of her face. "Tsk tsk. I thought talking about stuff always helped?"

"Fine." She swallowed the food in her mouth, set the pie down and turned to look at Kahlei. "Y'know how I said about Nox giving me a holocron and getting me to kill an assassin?" She waited for Kahlei to nod in response. "Yeah, well, it was on Taris."

"Why wouldn't you say? You've already told me all about that."

"Eh, the red guy was around." Ashara stopped, glanced at the food around her and groaned. "Uh, I'm gonna throw up."

Kahlei sighed, shaking her head. Somehow she really wasn't surprised.

* * *

Kira leapt up, startled. Master Cyman, sat beside her, opened an eye and frowned

"Master! She's here!" Kira felt Kahlei's presence through her meditation. What was she doing on Alderaan? Was Kahlei here to search for her?

"Calm yourself, Kira." He gestured for her to sit back down.

"I have to find her. Now!"

"Have patience. You still haven't finished your mental exercises."

Reluctantly, she obeyed his command and allowed herself to return to her meditative trance.

* * *

Shielding her eyes from the sun, Kahlei scanned the landscape. Alderaan was so much brighter than her ship and it took her eyes a while to adjust. Now, this was  **definitely** the best planet she'd travelled to so far. This was 'save the best to last' in all its glory. Maybe they'd even have time to spare at the end. Then they could all go hiking. She glanced at her two companions that stood behind her, already bickering. Although, that'd probably end with one of those two murdering the other.

"So, where it is?" Ashara asked Scourge, who apparently didn't appreciate the tone she used.

"Deep in Glarus Valley."

"Oh great, let's just wander round the entire valley until we find it."

"You think I wouldn't get an exact location? Are you questioning my interrogation skills? I can assure you that the pain-"

"Oh, just shut up. Both of you." She really didn't want to listen to them argue. Nor did she want to relive Taris. For a moment, she thought Scourge was going to make a comment about her ordering him around, but the Sith remained silent. So did Ashara, although she the continued to glower at Scourge. Yeah, she couldn't see those two getting along any time soon. Hiking was definitely out of question.

Kahlei hired three speeders and they set off from the spacesport. She could have sworn the astromech droid with its back to her was teeseven, but then again, they all looked virtually the same. And there was no way he'd be all the way out here by himself.

They travelled through the Juran Mountains and were chased by several manka cats who thought it'd be a great idea to pursue three force users. Kahlei had thought that they'd have far better survival instincts than that. Obviously not. But they ignored the wildlife and pressed on with their journey.

Eventually the terrain began to change from grassy to snowy and Kahlei could feel the drop in temperature as they increased their altitude. Of course, the weapon wouldn't be in a sunny paradise like the area they'd just left. It had to be in the least pleasant place of Alderaan. Not to say this part was unpleasant, it just was by Alderaan standards. The snow here really had nothing on Hoth's.

They pulled up outside an abandoned estate. The buildings here looked so old and withered that Kahlei thought even the smallest breeze would send them crumbling to the ground.

"It's hidden in the house round the side."

Nodding, Kahlei dismounted her speeder and followed Scourge through the courtyard. It was lined with ruined statues that Kahlei guessed had been of the previous owners. The building Scourge said housed the weapon was attached to the main house, but much smaller. You wouldn't have noticed it from the front.

As they approached the entrance, Kahlei could make a Sith sat in the doorway. Was it Wrath? But when she got closer, she realised that this wasn't the woman from that she remembered from the holorecording. Who was she?

The Sith leapt to her feet, igniting her red lightsaber. She grinned. "My Master, Lord Wrath, sends her regards."

She charged for Kahlei, who quickly drew her lightsaber. But Ashara stepped in front and parried the attack. "Go, Kahlei. I'll handle her."

* * *

Ashara watched as Kahlei and Scourge both made their way up the stairs of the house. The sith tried to go after them, but Ashara leapt to the doorway, blocking her.

"You're not going anywhere. Over my dead body, Sith." She spat the word as if it were an insult.

The woman eyed Ashara for a moment, as if trying to intimidate her. But when it was clear Ashara wasn't going to move out of the way, she raised her lightsaber. "Then I'll just have to kill you first." Ashara noted the confidence in her voice and hoped it wasn't well-earned. "I guess you'll want to know the name of your killer. Jaesa."

She nodded at Jaesa, keeping her ready stance fixed. "Ashara." Ashara only had one of her lightsabers drawn, hoping to use the other as a surprise attack.

Lightsaber gripped with both hands, Jaesa charged for the togruta, poised to strike. Ashara focussed herself into a battle trance and swept the blow away, leaving Jaesa open. She retaliated, trying to stab Jaesa in the chest with her own. But her attack was blocked. The Sith grinned. The lightsaber she thought was a single one, was actually a double ended. As it was activated, Jaesa swung it round towards Ashara. She jumped away just in time. The lightsaber had been close enough for her to feel the heat through her armour.

She reprimanded herself for being so careless. That had almost been a terrible mistake. So, this Sith had attempted to surprise her with a hidden weapon - just like she'd planned to do herself. She needed to be more cautious. Jaesa was clearly competent.

The Sith kept a closed stance, waiting for Ashara to attack. Knowing that Jaesa would be ready, she sent a cautious slash her way to force her out of the defensive position. Opening up, Jaesa blocked. Ashara swirled round to get her other side. Jaesa swung the other end of her lightsaber, also blocking that. Jaesa deactivated one side and tried to stab her with it. Ashara dodged, but Jaesa reactivated the other end, trying to catch her off guard. She dodged again.

Ashara took the offensive, slashing out with one hand. Jaesa parried. With their lightsabers locked. Ashara ignited her second lightsaber and struck it towards her opponent's head. But Jaesa pushed Ashara out of her blocking position and force leaped away. Unbalanced, she fell to the floor. Both of Jaesa's hands had been on the weapon which was she'd been able to put more force into the block compared to Ashara. But they were equals. This was a battle of endurance.

Ashara tried to climb to her feet, but the snow proved to be a poor grip. Jaesa took the opportunity to leap towards her. Ashara tumbled back, letting Jaesa fly over her. The sith landed and turned to continue her attack, but by then Ashara had got back up to her feet.

Ashara parried, Jaesa pushed off her, spinning round with both ends ignited. Ashara stopped her spin and this almost caused Jaesa to topple over. But she leapt back, regaining her balance. Ashara jumped towards Jaesa, lightsaber above her head. Jaesa evaded and just as Ashara was landing, spun her lightsaber round. This scraped through Ashara's armour, barely missing her skin. The heat that had hovered there was quickly replaced with the cool air. Looking down, she realised the section was exposed. Jaesa would undoubtedly be aiming for that area. She'd have to be extra careful not to leave that side open.

It was that double ended lightsaber that was causing the problems. Ashara hadn't had an awful lot of experience at fighting an opponent who utilised it and as a result, found it difficult to adapt her movements to counter it. But, if she could do something about it then it'd make this battle much easier. Ashara smiled to herself. That sort of thinking was something Kahlei had encouraged her to do during their training sessions.

They continued their flurry of strikes and slashes whilst Ashara waited for an opportunity. Eventually, Jaesa made a block that looked a little wobbly so Ashara quickly struck for the middle of the weapon with her other lightsaber. She hit was successful and Jaesa's lightsaber fell in two. But Jaesa didn't seem to be proficient in dual wielding and simply tossed half aside. She gripped the one she had with both hands, fury seething out of her.

Although the Sith looked angry, she took the defensive, luring Ashara into attacking her. She easily blocked each and retaliated when she could, trying to catch Ashara off guard.

Ashara frowned, realising Jaesa was trying to wear her out. And it was working. Strike by strike, Jaesa's strength appeared to increase whilst her own decreased. And the difference was exponentially growing with each attack. Ashara had to end Jaesa's game before she exhausted her. If she lost, Kahlei wouldn't be able to get the weapon. Ashara had to stop Jaesa. If she didn't, Coruscant would be destroyed.

So, how exactly was she going to do that? Trying to counter Jaesa whilst formulating a plan proved nearly impossible, so she took a leap back. Thinking she was succeeding, the Sith sneered.

She was going to have to use that ataru technique that Kahlei regularly employed. The adaptation made it easier to catch an opponent off guard. And that was exactly what Ashara neeeded.

Ashara leapt up, somersaulting over Jaesa's head. As expected, Jaesa tried to slash at her right leg. That was the well-known counter for an ataru air attack. But this was different. This technique actually required the opponent to try the typical counter.

She pulled that leg in, evading the attack. This left Jaesa unbalanced and with Ashara's other leg, she kicked at Jaesa's left shoulder and rested it there for a moment. Then, she pushed off again, enhancing her step with the force, into another somersault. The blow caused Jaesa to stagger backwards and grip her shoulder. Jaesa's left hand dropped from her lightsaber. Good. With only one hand, she'd have less support in her attacks.

Ashara quickened her pace, noticing that Jaesa's movements were slower than before. The Sith struggled to keep up. She sent multiple strikes towards Jaesa, using the force for extra speed. One strike made it past Jaesa's defence. She shrieked in pain.

Taking advantage of this, she raised her lightsaber to make her final blow. Just as she was charging, she felt her lightsaber being parried. Jumping back, Ashara gazed at the newcomer. Then, she swallowed.

Wrath.

She recognised the tall, athletic build of the woman and the face that was covered in Sith tattoos. Her crimson plait blew in the wind. This would have usually been used as a romantic description of someone, but somehow managed to make Wrath look even more menacing.

"Feed off your hatred, my apprentice! Feed off your pain!"

Wrath didn't move from her position. Instead, she remained as still as the statues that surrounded them, waiting for Ashara's response. How was she going to defeat the Wrath? The Sith Lord smirked. Ashara guessed she could sense her fear. But she had to slow Wrath down to give Kahlei more time. Although she knew it'd be suicidal, she engaged Wrath.

Ashara charged at Wrath, whose block and counter was as fluid as a single move. She jumped out of the way, only to have Wrath leaping towards her. She was no match for Wrath. And she wasn't too sure Kahlei was, either. Wrath knocked Ashara off her feet. She rolled away from the lightsaber that tried to stab her and heard Wrath laughing. Probably at how 'weak' she was. Gritting her teeth, she knew she had to survive as long as she could. Every second she kept Wrath here was another second that Kahlei grew closer to destroying the weapon.

For a moment, she thought she'd seen an opening but the Sith quickly parried and resumed her brutal assault.

"Master!" Wrath's head snapped over her shoulder. "The Jedi and traitor are already recovering the weapon!" Wasting no more time, Wrath rushed towards the doorway of the building. Ashara leapt to her feet, pursuing Wrath. She had to hold her back at whatever cost.

But similar to how Ashara had done before, Jaesa leapt in her path. "And where do you think you're going? Our fun's only just begun."


	16. Chapter 16

"Go, Kahlei. I'll handle her."

Kahlei glanced over her shoulder at the togruta. She had little choice. This sith was Wrath's apprentice. That meant that Wrath could be here any minute. Nodding, she rushed through into the house. Hopefully Ashara would be okay. As soon as she destroyed the weapon, she promised she'd go back and help Ashara.

"Upstairs." She raced behind Scourge. "It's in a hidden room." He fought open several locked doors, peering in. Finally, he said, "This one." The room appeared to have been the library as many dusty holocrons and disks were piled up in high stacks on the shelves. Though there weren't anywhere near as many as the Order's, there was still an awful lot for such a small room. Scourge stopped in front of an old picture, with paint beginning to flake off, on the wall. It was of a family that Kahlei assumed had been the owners of the estate. He pushed it out of the way to reveal a door. Through the door were more steps, riddled with cobwebs. They spiralled upwards and reached another door at the top. How had the mercenary known to hide the weapon here? Or had this been Wrath's idea? Either way, how had they learnt of the secrets of the building?

In the centre of the room, a black box lay atop an altar. Scourge nodded towards it. "That's it."

Kahlei picked it up, feeling the cool metal. It was much lighter than she'd have thought. Having such a device capable of destroying an entire planet in her hands was strange. It was almost as if the fate of Coruscant was quite literally laying in her hands.

"What are you doing with it?"

"Destroying it, of course." She reached for her light saber, but then paused. The Empire had been able to build such a weapon. Even if she destroyed it, they'd be able to make another. If she brought it to someone she trusted in the Republic, like General Var Suthra, then they'd be able to start researching a device that could counter one like she held in her hands. But if she failed to recover it safely, if Wrath stopped her, Coruscant would be destroyed. But it would anyway, if they were unable to stop the Empire from building a new one and using that on Coruscant.

"You've changed your mind." It was a statement, not a question.

"We're taking this to the Republic. If the Empire develops one similar one, then they can prepare something to stop it."

Scourge nodded, but didn't show his opinion on her decision. If she had to guess, she'd have said he agreed with her logic.

As Kahlei turned to place to device in her backpack, she heard Scourge shout a warning to her. She spun round. A red flash flew towards her. She ducked, cursing herself for being caught off guard so easily. As she watched the Sith catch the lightsaber, she realised just how close it had been to severing her head. Scourge lit his lightsaber, ready to strike, but was held in place by invisible bonds. Kahlei turned her gaze to Wrath, who had a relic raised in her hand, cackling madly.

"You dare try such a petty trick on me? I'll make you regret that," Scourge spat at her.

"No. You're not going anywhere. Darth Nox assured the Hands this device she made would react against your 'gift'. And that there would be no escaping it."

Darth Nox? But Darth Nox had agreed to ally with her and Scourge. Had she betrayed them? Or was this how she'd found out about Scourge's curse? Was this before she'd made their deal?

Scourge continued to curse at Wrath, while Kahlei took a defensive stance. "Stand down, Sith."

Wrath grinned, a gleam of excitement in her eyes. "Make me."

She leapt to Kahlei, her light saber poised to strike. Kahlei ducked, Wrath flew over her head. When the Sith landed, Kahlei swung round, attempting to strike at Wrath. Wrath blocked. But Wrath was stronger than she physically looked and pushed Kahlei away. She charged again. Kahlei parried, quick to move her light saber before the Sith could overpower her once more.

Wrath moved as fast as Kahlei, blocking every attack she made. Although, if it were a battle of speed, Kahlei guessed she herself would win. Barely. But this wasn't just about speed. It was a mixture of everything from cunning to brute strength. This woman's figure made Kahlei look slight. She had a good few inches on her and was much more muscular. And that gave her an advantage.

Kahlei blocked with one hand. While Wrath focussed on that, she back flipped and attempted to make an air strike at Wrath. But Wrath parried, knocking Kahlei to the floor. The sith tried to stab her in the chest, but she rolled away and leapt back to her feet before she could. Kahlei lashed out, striking Wrath. Her eyes widened. That had been a successful hit.

But Wrath just laughed. Her attack had been reduced to a mere scratch by the thick armour. She launched Kahlei back into the altar with the power of the force, who was still surprised at the Sith's reaction.

Wrath stepped closer, like a nexu closing in on its prey. "Look at you, even more pathetic than your parents."

"You knew my parents?"

"I killed them."

Kahlei stared at the leering Wrath and shook her head in disbelief. The Sith continued her juyo assault. As she battled Wrath off her, Kahlei struggled to control her rage. Wrath must have sensed her inner conflict for she continued, laughing even more, "Those treacherous scum fell so easily. Giving up the force to the Order? Pathetic excuses for sith."

Kahlei froze. Sith? What did Wrath mean?

Wrath took the opportunity to catch her off guard, Kahlei blocked but only just and was thrown off balance, once again. Crouching, Kahlei bit her trembling lip. "Sith? They were Jedi!"

Wrath knew of the sacrifice they'd made to the Order. She knew too much about them to be lying about meeting them. Was she lying about being their murderer? Was she lying about them being sith?

Finding Kahlei's denial amusing, Wrath continued, "The Order told you they were Jedi? Haha. They lied to you, Jedi. They didn't want you to reach your potential. Maybe if you'd been sith, this would have been a fair fight. But now, you will die. Coruscant will fall. Your," she turned to Scourge, sneering, " _Friend_ will suffer as none has suffered before."

"No!" Kahlei leapt towards Wrath. But that was the reaction Wrath had wanted, and so was more than ready for the attack.

"You know what's even funnier?" She pointed a gloved finger accusingly towards Scourge. "He was ordered to kill your parents."

Kahlei's anger threatened to take over. But she fought it as hard as she fought Wrath. She couldn't give in to it. Her blind rage was what Wrath wanted.

"My mother learnt of his mission and asked him if she could go in his place, wanting to avenge my father's death. He let her. It's his fault your parents are dead."

Wrath was taunting her, wanting her to turn against Scourge. Then Kahlei would have no reason to fight. But she refused to take the bait. "It was his job to execute 'traitors'. How would he have known they were my parents?"

"Maybe. I still remember their fear as I drove my mother's light saber through them. She was so pleased by my rage, said that I had proven myself worthy enough to be sent to the Academy. It was the highlight of my childhood."

Highlight of her childhood? From what she'd heard from Scourge, Sith childhoods weren't that great but Wrath must have had a terrible one to claim it was the 'highlight'. Either that or she was twisted enough to take such pleasure in killing. In killing her parents. Thinking about that, she could feel her temper rise. She had to focus. "You're sick and I will stop you." Kahlei kept her voice calm and controlled.

"Don't you feel angry? Don't you want revenge?"

"Killing you won't bring them back. We Jedi understand how pointless vengeance is."

"You Jedi bore me."

Wrath charged for Kahlei, once again. She tried to focus her mind, clearing it of the emotion. It was a fluid an exchange of blows, flowing like water. Steady. There was no passion. Strike, block, strike, block. It was a cycle. A rhythm. Kahlei detached herself from it, bringing herself into a meditative state.

The Sith's attacks were relentless and Kahlei could feel herself being drained of energy. Concentrate. Strike, block, strike, block. A seamless pattern. No emotion.

She had to defeat Wrath. For Coruscant. For Scourge. For herself. Kahlei felt a surge of energy through her body and felt the determination in her attacks. She could do this. She had to do this. For a moment, she thought she was overpowering Wrath, but an even greater darkness surrounded Wrath and the sith's attacks became even more lethal. Kahlei parried, but wasn't quick enough to block a quick blow to her waist. Pain seared across. Trying to endure the pain, she grit her teeth. She stumbled as she tried defend herself against Wrath's next series of attacks. They were even quicker. They were finishing moves.

"Kahlei."

She didn't turn to Scourge. She couldn't.

"Use your emotions. They will give you strength."

No.

It was wrong.

She couldn't give in to the darkness. She had to beat Wrath like this. Wrath knocked her off her feet. This time, Kahlei was unable to defend herself from the attack. All she could do was await the inevitable.

But the inevitable never came. Instead, a green double-bladed lightsaber crashed into Wrath's red. The sith stumbled back, giving Kahlei time to jump back to her feet.

"Kahlei!"

Kahlei didn't need to glance over her shoulder to know who the speaker was. Kira. She kept her eyes fixed upon Wrath. Kira held her hand outstretched and guided her lightsaber back to her. Her presence felt different. Kira felt more sure, more confident and stronger than Kahlei had ever sensed before. They stood side by side, both taking a defensive stance as they waited for the Sith to make her move. "Thanks."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kira wink. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Kahlei smiled, feeling a new strength warm her body. This power was strong enough to numb the wound on her waist. It gave her hope. "Right."

Wrath's eyes darted between the two of them, realising her disadvantage. She switched to a strong guarded stance, keeping her eyes on the two jedi. Knowing that Wrath wouldn't make the first move, the jedi simultaneously leapt at her. Wrath ducked one, blocked the other. She threw them off and returned to her solid form, waiting for an opening. They tried to wear Wrath down. One tried to distract her whilst the other aimed a deadly attacked. But the sith was too aware. She was ready for every strike.

Somehow, Kahlei managed to hit Wrath, who'd been milliseconds from blocking her attack. Kahlei's lightsaber cut into Wrath's armour and she could smell the sith's flesh burn. But Wrath did not step back. Instead, she began seething. Through the force, Kahlei could see the sith's hatred billowing into a frightening cloud around her.

Wrath took a hand off her lightsaber and used the force to push Kahlei away. She was on the floor dazed and unprepared for Wrath's strike. But Kira was prepared. The jedi blocked the attack, her figure protecting Kahlei. Wrath swirled her lightsaber around, Kahlei could only see it as a blur. Kira wasn't fast enough to block it. Kahlei tried to shield her friend, but was too late. Kira took the full hit. Kahlei could hear the hum of the light saber as it cut. As the jedi was doubled over from the intense pain, Wrath aimed for Kira's stomach. The light saber found its mark and Kira fell.

Still on the floor, Kahlei tried to grab Kira. Kira choked and spluttered, blood forming at her mouth. Horrified, Kahlei tightened her arms round Kira.

"You can't die!"

Kira tried to laugh, but it caused her to cough even more. "There is no death, there is the force."

The Sith had taken this opportunity to regain her strength and channel her hatred. Wrath now swung for Kahlei, still frozen in place.

"Kahlei!"

She heard Scourge shout her name and snapped out of her trance, barely managing to block the attack. Wrath's attacks were unrelenting and Kahlei knew that in her current state, she'd be unable to defeat the Sith.

There was only one way.

She reached deeper, breaking the chains that held the darkness in place. She allowed it to course through her body, feeding off her rage. She had to do this. For Kira. She couldn't allow her friend's sacrifice to be in vain. Wrath's eyes widened and took a step back, surprised by the power that now radiated from Kahlei.

"Wield your anger, don't let it wield you."

Kahlei understood his warning; she could feel the darkness threatening to take control. She trapped it, forcing it to work for her. The force was her weapon.

In response, Wrath began to channel her hatred. Before she had chance to finish, Kahlei charged at her.

She'd seen openings earlier, but had been too slow. With her newfound power, she was faster than she'd ever been and was now able to act on these openings. Wrath, whose eyes narrowed as she concentrated, was barely able to keep up. Yes. That was how she was going to win. Just a little more speed.

Kahlei focussed on the pain in her side. She focussed on her rage. Wrath had murdered her parents and Kira. A murderer like Wrath didn't deserve to live. All they deserved was a brutal death. But she couldn't let it consume her. No. She had to sharpen it into a blade that would destroy Wrath.

Her lightsabers flashed around so quickly it looked like several, not two. Like a blade storm. The only way to destroy Wrath was through her own wrath. Through speed.

Wrath was unable to defend herself against some strikes and Kahlei felt glee watching the sith wince in pain. Glee at how glorious this power was. As wrong and unnatural it was, there was no denying the strength of it.

But the sith refused to fall, still continuing to fight despite how severely scorched her skin was. Not only did Kahlei have more agility, but more physical strength. Her attacks had managed to break through the armour to the flesh. Wrath fought on. On and on, until she was delirious with pain. Until she'd been reduced to her basic fighting instinct. But Wrath was not invincible. And finally, she fell.

When she did, the relic that had held Scourge in place fell with her. It hit the floor and smashed into little tiny pieces. But Kahlei didn't have time to watch that. She crawled over to Kira, whose presence was quickly fading.

Kahlei grabbed Kira's shoulders, tears forming in her friend's hair. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"Me too. But we all make mistakes, huh?" she smiled, weakly, and coughed. "But you saved Coruscant. You're a hero." When Kahlei didn't respond, she continued, " I.. I remember the first time I met you on Tython. All I could think was, 'Why's Master Satele fawning over this girl?' Now I know. You're the best Jedi in the order - and you've been a good friend."

Kira closed her eyes and Kahlei felt her life force drain from her body even further. "No! Don't! Don't leave me!" She tried to remember back to the basic healing techniques that she'd been taught as a padawan. She'd never seen the value in refining hers. Now, all she wished was that she had. "I'll save you!" But the wound refused to close up and Kahlei was too exhausted to continue.

"I'm not. I'll never leave you, Kahlei," Kira said, clutching Kahlei's hand.

And then, she was gone. The hand fell limp.

Kahlei gripped onto Kira, sobs wracking through her body. No! Kira couldn't leave her. She couldn't. It wasn't fair. Why had the force snatched her away? It wasn't natural. She couldn't die. She couldn't. Not after she'd been so horrible to Kira on Hoth. Not after she'd abandoned her. She hadn't had chance to make it up or to rebuild their friendship.

Kahlei choked, burying her head in Kira's hair. It wasn't fair. Why had the force stolen Kira? Someone that meant this much to her? There was no justice. She screamed. In rage, despair and pain. She'd been weak. Weak. Too weak to save Kira. She'd failed. She'd failed Kira and herself.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned round. Scourge. Her vision started to blur. Then it all went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Disclaimer: The'Master Satele fawning over this girl?' is an in-game quote from Kira. ))


	17. Chapter 17

Scourge watched as Kahlei collapsed onto the floor. Not that he was surprised. At least her being unconscious meant it'd be easier to carry her to a medic. He glanced between Kira and Wrath, reaching out through the force. Nothing. They were both gone.

He'd never been overly fond of the red-headed Jedi, but he knew Kahlei had been. For a moment, he thought he almost felt pity for Kahlei. Obviously he needed to spend more time among Sith. Her Jedi ways were beginning to rub off on him. He was growing soft. Weak. But, he had almost felt something. Even if was a pathetic emotion like pity.

Either way, getting Kahlei medical attention before she bled to death was the most logical thing to do. If she died, his existence would be back to grey. Not that it wasn't currently grey. It was simply grey with small tints of colour round the edges.

He had been about to lift Kahlei up, when he noticed a new presence enter the building. Instinctively, he ignited his lightsaber.

"Whoah." He recognised Doc standing in the doorway. "Put that away." Convenient. Now he wouldn't have to carry Kahlei to a medic: there was one right here. Scourge deactivated his lightsaber and put it back in its place. When Scourge's hulking figure no longer blocked the scene behind him, Doc fell to his knees, shaking his head in disbelief. "They're... they're..." A furious look grew in his eyes and he threw an accusing scowl at Scourge. "You! You did this!"

Scourge sighed, shaking  _his_ head in disbelief, too. But his disbelief was at Doc's idiocy. "For what purpose?" Doc had been about to object, until several more people arrived behind him - including Ashara. Scourge nodded. Good. He doubted Kahlei would have recovered from grief if the togruta had fallen, too.

Sergeant Rusk stood still, bowing his head. T7 let out a low whir. Ashara also dropped to her knees, hand over her gaping mouth. Scourge scanned his eyes across the group, before continuing, "Wrath used my curse to her advantage." He waited for one of them to question him on his 'curse', but all were too busy staring at the scene. "Kahlei fought Wrath alone until Kira arrived. Wrath cut down Kira and Kahlei was eventually victorious."

"Are they all dead?"

"Apart from Kahlei."

Doc didn't need to be told to get to work. He retrieved the medpac he always had on hand and rolled Kahlei over. As the medisensor beeped, he read out the findings, mostly out of habit. "Lots of minor scratches. Major bleeding on the left side. Appears to have been cauterised by the lightsaber, but reopened due to strenuous activity. Uh, bruising round the ribs. Most likely from some high impact-"

"Spare me the details. Will she live?"

Also out of habit, he winked at Scourge. "Not without help from ol' Doc." Then Doc shuddered, realising he'd winked at the sith. He coughed and continued, "Yeah, she'll live. Probably just unconscious from blood loss. Although, when she finds out about Kira, she won't want to." Doc's eyes drifted back towards Kira, his head hanging low.

"She already knows."

"Then she won't want to wake up."

* * *

Vette let go of the breath she'd been holding when they left, taking the weapon along with them. Not that she cared. Them taking it was probably for the best, anyway. She crawled out of her hiding place from under a table. Tattered velvet cloth was draped across it, reaching the floor on all sides. That had made it a great hiding place. Although she suspected the Sith, the one that used to do Xaryia's job, had known she was there. From the small tear in the table-cloth, she'd been able to watch the scene. And she'd seen him directly looking at her. He'd probably just figured that she wasn't a threat since she wasn't force sensitive. And he'd been right, she hadn't been a threat. Simply a spectator. When Xaryia had first stormed in, Vette had managed to sneak behind her. None of the jedi had noticed her, they'd all been too busy fighting. And nobody had noticed as she'd rolled into her hiding place.

Things had been going good until the other Jedi arrived. But even then, Xaryia had managed to fight them both off. It was when Xaryia had killed the new one. She guessed they'd be friends or something, since the dark haired one had snapped.

But she didn't have time for this. She had to help Xaryia. Was she even still breathing? Vette hoped so. Prayed so. As Vette stood over Xaryia, she gasped.

Her armour had been worn down so much in places that you could see the scorched skin beneath. Her right hand was mangled, probably from when she'd blocked a lightsaber with her hand. Vette had thought the glove would have been enough to absorb it, but it hadn't. Her legs and torso were in a similar state, too. Vette leant closer, trying to find a pulse, trying to feel breath against her cheek. But she felt nothing.

Vette hugged Xaryia's arm and did the only thing that there was left to do. To cry. Xaryia had asked for it. Most would say she deserved it. But Vette knew better. Xaryia had deserved a second chance. A chance to be a better person.

This was all of Captain Tightpants's fault. If he hadn't have hurt her like this, then she wouldn't have become that person. She'd have stayed her fairly reasonable sithy self. Vette found herself hoping that Xaryia had given him a well-earned, brutal death. It was his fault she was dead. He deserved whatever he'd got.

She felt a hand on her own and looked down. Then, she hugged Xaryia with all the energy she had, not being mindful that she could accidentally squeeze the life out of her. Literally.

"I thought.. I thought..." Vette snivelled, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. "I thought you were a goner."

Xaryia didn't answer. Vette guessed that she couldn't, even if she wanted to. The slight movement of her good hand had probably been taxing. Instead, she lay there with her eyes closed, most likely conserving her strength. She'd heard the Sith claim that Xaryia was dead and had accepted it at the time, knowing that his announcement would be based on whether he was able to sense life in her or not. So, how had Xaryia managed to hide it from him? Not that Vette cared about the how. She was just grateful for Xaryia's cunning. Especially when she'd been half dead.

Although she didn't really need a medisensor to know what was wrong, she pulled one out of her medpac and did so, anyway. She was also thankful for the introductory courses she'd taken on the Holonet when Quinn had left. Uh, been killed. No, justifiably executed.

The wounds were going to leave massive scars, but Xaryia was lucky she'd been fighting Jedi. Their lightsabers had cauterised the wound. If it'd been a vibrosword, she'd have bled to death. Xaryia also had several cracked ribs and lots of severed tendons in the injured hand. She was probably going to need cybernetics for movement in that one again. Actually, it was so mangled that Vette wouldn't have been surprised if the medics insisted on implanting an entire cybernetic hand. Hopefully it wouldn't be the same for her right leg, too.

When Vette had finished scanning and trying to help a few wounds, she was very sure Xaryia would live. It was probably the force or something that had kept her going. That's what the sith and jedi always said. Made sense. Xaryia's state should have been critical, but she actually looked pretty stable. But she certainly wouldn't be moving for a long time. Maybe now she could use her second chance to be a good person.

Somehow, Vette managed to carry Xaryia down the stairs and out the house, although she stumbled several times. When they were outside, in the snowy courtyard, Vette nearly dropped Xaryia from the sight she saw. Instead, she placed her patient down carefully and rushed towards Jaesa.

Of course. She'd seen the togruta Jaesa had been fighting, so it should have clicked that Jaesa had been defeated. Maybe she'd just thought Jaesa would have ran away. No, that wasn't like Jaesa. Jaesa would never back away from a fight. Xaryia had always said that sort of 'fearlessness' was an admirable quality, but Vette didn't agree. It was just poor survival instinct.

Vette leaned closer, hoping to be surprised like she had been with Xaryia. But this time, she wasn't. Even though Xaryia had been mangled and Jaesa looked less wounded, Xaryia had survived. Was that luck or 'the force'?

The Twi'lek closed Jaesa's eyes and bowed her head, in respect. She was sad to see Jaesa go, even though Jaesa had been anything but nice to Vette. No, she wasn't devastated like she had been when she thought Xaryia was dead. But still sad.

What Vette was worried about was what Xaryia's reaction to Jaesa's death would be. In recent months, the two had drifted apart but she knew that Xaryia had still been quite friendly with her apprentice. Friendly by Xaryia's new standards, anyway. Hopefully this wouldn't sabotage Xaryia's second chance.

But she knew that a second chance was out of the question. Xaryia would hunt down the people who had done this to her and to her apprentice. At whatever cost. Vette swallowed, punching in their ship's frequency on her holocomm so Broonmark could send a shuttle. Hopefully she'd stay put until she was back to full health.

* * *

"Uh, I don't get it."

Scourge lifted his head to regard Doc. "Don't get what? I thought you were the 'best medic in the galaxy?'"

"I am. But there are limits for even the best." Doc turned to gesture to several different datapads, scanners and other sorts of devices Scourge didn't even recognise. He just raised an eye ridge, waiting for him to continue his explanation. Doc pointed towards Kahlei. "Everything's saying she should be awake."

"Then she'll wake up shortly."

"No." Doc waved frantically at a datapad. "She's in a coma, but there's no reason for it."

"Then it is of her own doing. Like you said, she doesn't want to wake up."

"So, what are we gonna do? Just wait for her to wake up? Even though that could be months? Even years?!"

The idiot continued to blather, but Scourge ignored him. Obviously this was related to the force. He moved his chair closer to the med table Kahlei lay on and reached out into her mind.

When Scourge opened his eyes, he found himself stood atop a pinnacle, in the middle of nowhere. The grass was grey - as was the dirt, trees and stones. He'd have assumed this was his usual vision, if it weren't for the fact that he could see the colour of his hand. Deep red. It had been three hundred years since he'd been able to see in colour.

He could see Kahlei in colour, too. She looked exactly how he remembered her being in his vision. The vision that had changed his entire life. Well, had changed it from a life to an existence. She was fairly attractive. But that was a clinical observation. A mere observation that he knew others, especially their medic, would have found her quite pretty looking. Even something as pathetic as being unable to admire beauty made him wish to be rid of the curse.

The Jedi was crouched over, head in the grass whilst her hands clawed at it. Then, he noticed the stairs behind him that trailed upwards into the bright clouds. Below was an abyss of fire and darkness.

He concluded that he was able to see himself, Kahlei and the two worlds above and below them in colour because this was Kahlei's dream. In terms of the force, above represented the Light and below represented darkness. The pinnacle was the bridge in between: the grey part of the force.

As he approached her, he could hear her murmuring to herself. It was only when he was less than a metre away from her that she looked up. Her lip trembled and crawled backwards, away from him. But she landed on the dry grass. Kahlei shook her head in disbelief and her voice cracked as she spoke. It sounded as though she'd been screaming. "Go away! You're not real. None of this is real!" On cue, several jedi appeared. Some he recognised: Kira, Satele, a few Council members. But some, he did not. They formed a circle, looming over her. Tormenting her. They all spoke at once, blaming her for her wrongdoings.

Scourge supposed this was a manifestation of her guilt. He continue to walk towards her, stepping through the apparitions. When he did, they turned to smoke, vanishing.

Her eyes widened and she sat upright. "You're real? After all this time, I thought I was alone."

"You've only been unconscious for a few hours."

"Hours?" Kahlei shook her head. "No. You're lying. It was weeks. Months."

She appeared to be in a form of a force trance. Scourge supposed her sense of time was completely different to reality. It was also likely that what had felt like a few minutes since he'd entered the dream wasn't actually even a second.

Kahlei wiped tears away with the black sleeve of her armour. "Why did you come here?"

"I was curious." Scourge sat beside her and they both stared out into the horizon that was as grey as the bleak pinnacle. Either side gradually turned into colour. Above turned to a light blue shade. As Scourge's gaze reached even higher, he realised that at the very top (as far as he could see) was pure white. Below turned from dark blue to black. "You cannot hold yourself responsible."

He had been right: that was exactly what was bothering her. She squeezed her hands tight. When she released them, he could see nail marks across her palms. "I saved one friend, but in the end I still lost one."

Scourge bit back his comment about not needing to be saved. Even for him, that would have been insensitive.

"If I'd handed you over, I wouldn't have lost Kira. Then I would have lost you. But when I saved you, I lost Kira. I feel like the victim of a cruel joke played by the force."

"Then you cannot blame yourself."

"Because it was fate? The will of the force?" Kahlei scoffed. "You Sith don't even believe in that. If it was the will of the force, then I should have stripped it of its will."

To bend the force to the user's will. That was very un-Jedi like of her, although he was unsurprised.

"If I had been stronger, I could have saved both of you. Nobody would have got hurt." Kahlei crawled over to the edge of the tall rock, staring over the edge into the chasm. "It was only when I fought with my rage that I defeated Wrath. The Order told me that light would conquer darkness. But I could only match her strength with the same darkness." She continued to gaze down into the fires. "I always believed it was my destiny to become Jedi - like my parents. But then Wrath said they were Sith. Was she lying? Or was the Order?" She turned round and grabbed his arms, shaking him. "No. It was the Order. They lied to me! Everything they ever told me was a lie! Their teachings were wrong! Even when me and Kira fought Wrath, we still couldn't beat her. The Light is weak."

"Of course it's weak."

Kahlei hung her head, pulling at the grass. "I should have listened to you."

"It's not too late for you to listen."

"You'll help me to become stronger?"

"I told you I would if you changed your mind."

And then, she smiled. He saw, rather than felt, her throw her arms around him into a hug. But Scourge didn't return her embrace. Instead, he pondered how interesting it'd be to see how she adapted to the ways of the Sith. She'd shown great potential in her battle with Wrath.

As in response to Kahlei's hug, the pinnacle began to crumble. And together they fell into the darkness.

 


	18. Chapter 18

"Don't get up too fast, beautiful."

For a moment, Kahlei thought she'd woken up with Doc in her bed. That made her do the exact opposite of his instruction - leap out of the bunk. But when she glanced round, she realised she was in the med bay and had been laying on the med table. Her head hurt and her left side felt like a bantha herd had trampled over it. When she rubbed the back of her head, Doc laughed.

"Yeah. You've been out for a few days."

Scrunching her face up, she tried to recall what had happened. Her lip quivered.

Kira.

Noticing her expression, Doc frantically patted her shoulder, worried she'd have an outburst. "It's going to be okay. It'll be okay."

Then the memories of screaming for what felt like weeks and weeks until her throat was raw came back to her. Until Scourge had appeared. And then, she remembered what she'd asked of him.

She wiped away the tears. No amount of crying would bring Kira back. All she could do was to become strong enough so nobody else ever had to hurt like Kira had. So that she didn't lose Scourge, Doc, T7, Rusk or Ashara, too.

As Kahlei calmed herself down, she heard an argument that sounded like Scourge and Ashara from outside the med bay.

"Nox said that we're starting the ritual when Kahlei wakes up."

"Not yet. The Jedi needs fixing."

"Fixing? You some kind of medic now?"

"No."

"Doc said she'll be fine when she wakes up. She doesn't even need fixing."

"She is broken."

"Broken? She's not some kind of machine that needs fixing, you know." Kahlei heard Ashara gasp. "You're teaching her the Dark Side!"

"That is what she wishes."

"You can't!"

"I shall."

"But she's not thinking straight! You're forcing her into the dark side."

"I did not force her. Nor did I manipulate. Nor did I 'take advantage' of the situation. She asked, I agreed."

"You're just like the rest of them!"

Kahlei heard a door slam and guessed it'd been Ashara. Scourge appeared in the doorway, arms folded over his chest. "I instructed Sergeant Rusk to take the super-weapon to the Republic." He furrowed his eye ridges. "That's what you wished?" When she nodded, Scourge continued, "Also, your pathetic Order have tried to contact you."

"They have?" Kahlei asked, rushing to the holoterminal and knocking over several glass tubes in the process. She heard them shatter behind her and Doc shout after her. But Kahlei ignored both. Scourge followed her. "What did you tell them?"

"Why does it matter?"

Feeling the cold durasteel beneath her bare feet, she stood in front of the flickering blue light. Why did it matter? Kahlei felt her anger flare up. It shouldn't matter! They'd lied to her. They'd cast her aside. It was their fault Kira was dead. But she still felt obligated to respond. No, not obligated. She was intrigued to know what they wanted. "It doesn't," she said, before punching in Master Satele's comm frequency.

The Grand Master was stood, hands clasped behind her back. "Kahlei." She also noted how Satele hadn't referred to her as a Master. So, did Satele just want to say she'd officially been exiled?

"Satele." She did the same, amused at how the Jedi's lips pressed together in response, eyes scrutinizing her.

"We heard you were successful." Satele paused. "I wanted to congratulate you."

Her jaw dropped. Congratulate her? After Satele herself had told her she didn't have a place in the Order? Did they just expect her to come running back? Kahlei wrinkled her nose. No wonder Scourge called them pathetic.

"You have to understand that although some of the Council wanted to support you - myself included, we were unable to in fear that Wrath would have used the weapon. However, we witnessed your.. skirmish on Nar Shaddaa."

The pit fighting? What, was Satele going to slap her wrist and scold her like a young padawan for that?

"Although we would gladly welcome you back, we feel that you need further training in the ways of the light before you-"

"You think I want to return?" Kahlei leant closer, elbow resting on the holoterminal to hide the pain in her side. But also for impact. "You think I want to return to you weak, lying cowards?"

It was only when she'd ended the call that she realised how funny the Grand Master's dumbstruck expression had been. She'd turned round to see Scourge nod in approval.

Thinking pain killers would be a good idea, she decided to return to Doc. But she was stopped in her path as someone hurled themselves into her.

"You're awake!" Ashara continued to hold on to her for a few moments, before moving out of the way.

When Ashara did, she revealed the small astromech droid behind her. T7 made some high-pitched beeping noises. "Kahlei + T7 = Together."

Kahlei knelt beside him, patting his uh, head. "We sure are. Just like the good old days." She tried her best to not let her voice crack at the end. It would never be 'like the good old days' again. Not without Kira. But she hid her grim thoughts with a smile. If any of them noticed how forced it was, they didn't remark on it.

Frowning, she turned to Scourge. But before she could even ask her question, Scourge answered it. "T7 planted a tracker on Kira. When she didn't meet them, they went after her."

Oh. That must have happened when she'd been on top of that pinnacle. Then they'd been too late to save Kira. Like she had. Did they all feel as helpless as she did? T7 gave out a soft, low pitched beep. Probably.

But she continued her happy facade, knowing that if she dwelled on these feelings then she'd find herself back in that world of light, dark and grey. The world Scourge had saved her from. How long would she stayed there if he hadn't reached out for her? Years? He'd promised to make her stronger. Strong enough to save those around her. She'd felt the strength of the Dark Side when she'd fought Wrath. It'd been so exhilarating, intoxicating. It was no wonder why the Order feared its addiction. Even just a sliver of it had sent so much power rushing through her. She scoffed to herself at their hypocrisy. They said there was no emotion, yet they all feared emotion. Ironic. They feared emotion, yet fear was an emotion. That's what made the Order weak.

Now she was no longer bound by their ridiculous rules. She was free. It was hard to ignore the excitement that sparked inside her.

Bringing herself back to the present, Kahlei gave Scourge a nod in reply to his answer to her unspoken question. "I swear you can actually mind read." She'd intended for her light-hearted comment to make her smile, but instead it brought back memories.

It was just after she'd met Kira when they were trying to find the doctor who'd really been Darth Angral's son. They'd found a man who'd refused to speak and Kira had told him that force users could read minds. The look on his face had been so hilarious that they'd repeated the same technique on several others they'd needed information on. It had been a running joke between the two of them. And so, when she'd said those words to Scourge, she wished she could take it back.

He raised an eye ridge, but Kahlei wasn't sure that it was at her words. However, he didn't comment on the emotions that warred inside her. "No. You pulled the face you always pull before you ask a question. It was easy to guess that your question was how they got here."

Was she that easy to read? Or was it just him being overly analytical? But three hundred years would give you a deep understanding of people.

Kahlei was surprised that Ashara hadn't brought up Darth Nox or her objections to Scourge teaching the Dark Side. Although Kahlei would have been happy to immediately start helping Scourge in getting his feelings back, she wasn't sure that was such a good idea. Not yet, anyway. First, she'd needed to become strong. If she didn't and if Nox betrayed them, then she'd still be too weak to stop her. It'd be the Wrath incident all over again and she couldn't lose another friend.

Ashara and T7 both left to continue whatever it was that they'd been up to before they'd come to see her. Scourge also turned away, but Kahlei grabbed his wrist.

"Yes, Jedi?"

The epithet caused her to pause. Was she still a Jedi? Well, she was at that moment, but would she still be one? There were those who called themselves 'rogue Jedi' or 'dark Jedi'. Is that what she would be? Neither part of the Jedi Order nor the Sith. The realisation made her feel hollow inside. It made her feel isolated. Like a small piece of rock aimlessly floating around the galaxy.

He remained still, raising both of his eye ridges as he waited for her reply.

But this was something she had to do. "Uh, when do we start?"

"Whenever you wish."

Well, that was right then. Kahlei nodded. "I'll go tell the crew, then."

Not wanting to be bored by pleasantries, Scourge stalked off to where Kahlei guessed would be the cargo hold bay. She'd always wondered why he liked that particular room so much. He'd even moved his bunk into that room when he'd first joined the crew. Apparently, the "idiots" who'd designed the crew's quarters hadn't designed the bunks for a man of his build. So, he'd taken a larger mattress and thrown it into the corner of the cargo bay. If it had been anyone else, she'd have worried that they'd have felt lonely. But this was Scourge. He didn't do lonely; solitude was his middle name. She also supposed he preferred being away from everyone else. Even though the med bay was right opposite it. Maybe that was why Scourge disliked Doc the most out of the entire crew? She imagined Doc's cheesy music constantly blasting through would be very annoying.

She gathered Doc, Ashara, and Teeseven together in the common room and used the holoterminal there to contact Sergeant Rusk.

He answered straight away and saluted her. "Good to see you alive and well, Master Jedi."

Kahlei returned the salute, albeit much sloppier than his. "Scourge told me you're taking the weapon to the Republic?"

"Already done. General Var Suthra wanted to thank you once again for your exemplary service to the Republic. Said he'd tell his higher ups so they can get the best scientists for the job."

"Thanks, Rusk."

"Just doing my duty."

Satisfied with that, Kahlei turned to face them all to discuss the other issue. "I've got something I need to do for a while." Ashara gave her a knowing glance. "So, you're all welcome to go and do your own thing."

"How long for, Master Jedi?" Rusk asked.

"Uh. Maybe a month? I'll contact you all when it's done. Then we can go and save the Republic again."

"T7 = staying."

"Uh, Nox'll probably want me back."

"I won't be too far away, Gorgeous."

Rusk gave a short nod. "Then I'll be seeing what I can do for the Republic in the meantime. Looking forward to working with you again, Master Jedi."


	19. Chapter 19

"Your people should have picked a nicer planet," Kahlei said, as yet another wind scraped at her skin. Her boots - even up to her knees, were covered in dust. Not that she was surprised that Scourge had decided to drag her to a planet like Korriban. He'd known exactly how to get past the planet's security unnoticed and how to avoid bumping into sith. They were headed for Korriban's deep wilderness, far from sith civilisation. The only other life forms out here were shyracks, k'lor'slugs and the odd tuk'ata. However, she did have her own answer to her comment. After all, somewhere like Tython or Alderaan definitely wouldn't have been sith style.

"You whine so much, Jedi. And you are not here for a vacation." Although his words were stern, Scourge's expression wasn't. Well, it was but it usually was - unless he was amused by someone's 'idiocy'. This was his less stern face. "And my ancestors did not pick this planet. This was where the original sith were born."

"Original? So, you sith purebloods aren't really pureblooded?" Her question had actually been a genuine question for once and not an attempt to provoke him.

But Scourge ignored her question. She wasn't sure whether the lack of a reply was because he'd taken offence at her words or because he was enjoying the history lesson too much to stop. "Eventually they left here, moving to worlds like Ziost." He paused, taking his eyes from the horizon down to her. "Ziost is similar but covered in ice, not dust. You should be grateful I chose Korriban."

"You just chose Korriban because it's nicer?"

"No, I was about to get to that part. And I will, unless you continue with your interruptions." He turned back to stare into the distance as they continued their trek.

Scourge had decided that they were to leave T7, C2 and their ship hidden behind some enormous Sith ruins. Kahlei had worried that Sith would find it, but he assured her that they were far from where any Sith would visit. He'd also insisted that they journeyed on foot so that she had chance to take in the scenery. Not that there was much to take in. Unless you counted all the rocks and rubble.

"Sure. Carry on."

"They left Korriban behind as a graveyard, building tombs to bury powerful Sith'ari. This became tradition and many legendary Sith Lords were also buried here. This is why the Dark Side's power is so immense. That is why I chose Korriban over Ziost."

Looking at Scourge rather than her footing, she ended up tripping over a rock, making the Sith chuckle. He almost looked happy being on Korriban and sharing its history with her. If he were able to feel, Kahlei had no doubt that he would have been happy. Then again, would it have brought feelings of nostalgia and regret?

"And because you also trained here, right?"

"No, Dromund Kaas. Your Republic stole our homeland."

The conversation was cut short as they entered a cave. As she went further in, Kahlei realised that actually it was a tomb. It was dark and she had to squint to make out detail, half expecting a shyrack to dive out of nowhere. But she couldn't sense any other life. Maybe that's why Scourge had chosen here.

"This is where we will be staying."

"Hopefully the dead guy won't mind." This was far from her ideal place to set base. Although it kept them out of the harsh winds, it was creepy. Scourge really did have bad taste.

"Scared he'll inflict his wrath upon us?"

"Just a little," Kahlei said. "Not sure lightsabers work on force ghosts."

He snorted his amusement before laying out his belongings in the corner of the chamber and setting out several bright lights around the room. When he'd finished, he sat cross-legged in the centre of the room and she sat opposite him.

"Guess you'll want me bowing at your feet and calling you 'almighty Master Scourge', huh?" She intended for it to be a joke, but Scourge's serious look made her worry that was what he actually wanted. "I'm grateful for your help but that'd just be weird-"

"Relax, Jedi. This is informal." Scourge frowned, studying her. And then, his next words surprised her. "Are you sure about this?" Her jaw dropped at the considerate question. Well, only until he quickly added, "I do not want to waste my time if you're not."

If she chose this path, there was no turning back. But this had to be done. If she didn't, she'd never be strong enough to protect those she cared about. From what she'd briefly experienced herself, the Dark Side was more than capable of giving her strength. No. She wasn't even just doing this to protect those close to her. She would be even stronger to oppose those who caused suffering. To oppose evil. And fighting darkness with darkness was the only way. From what she'd seen, the light was too weak to stop evil. This was the path she had to take.

Kahlei nodded. "What first, then? Go and hunt for some ancient tablet? Isn't that the sort of trials acolytes have to do?"

"Yes, but you're not an acolyte and so there is no point in petty trials. They are simply to distinguish the strong from the weak," he said. "I want you to reach out and embrace the darkness."

Kahlei could feel the power seeping out of Korriban without even trying to. It was immense. The thought of exploring it, surrendering herself to her was terrifying. Terrifying, but exciting.

And so, she reached out, opening herself up to its power. At first, she felt its dark tendrils curling round, creeping towards her. She willed it forward. But something stopped her. Something forced itself between her and the power, creating a wall to keep it out. She tried to fight past it, but it wouldn't let her. It remained unscathed as she mentally bashed against it.

When she'd given up, she opened her eyes. Scourge looked far from impressed. "Don't resist it."

"I'm not resisting it."

"The only barriers are the ones you put there yourself."

Kahlei doubted his words. She tried again, giving it her all. But the wall stood there, laughing at her. It wouldn't move. It wouldn't crumble. She tried again and again and again. Every time, it continued to stop her.

"There's something blocking me. And it's not my own mind."

"It is the subconscious part of your mind that holds you back," Scourge said.

"No, it's not. It's like someone else put it there."

Scourge stroked his left face-tendril for a moment. Then, he narrowed his eyes, eye ridges furrowing together. "No. It is your own fault. You are unworthy."

She bit her lip. Unworthy? What did he mean unworthy? And why was he leaping to his feet, igniting his lightsaber?

"There is only one way to deal with unworthy acolytes."

One way? And hadn't he just said she wasn't an acolyte? Kahlei continued to sit there, confused. Until he charged towards her.

Kahlei rolled out of the way, igniting her own. Was this part of the training? Scourge didn't waste time. He was back on her, striking. Kahlei evaded, keeping her distance. His lightsaber narrowly missed her. She could feel its power as it slashed through the air. He wasn't holding back. That attack had intended to hit. To hurt. To kill.

There was that mad gleam in his eyes. The one that made him unrecognisable. The one she'd seen on Taris. He wanted to hurt her. To kill her. Kahlei gulped. Had he decided that she was too weak? Was he trying to rid the galaxy of her weakness?

He was stronger than Wrath had been. By far. But she couldn't bring herself to strike back.

Scourge laughed at her. "You thought we were friends? That I cared about you?" He struck again, laughing even harder as her lip trembled. "Fool."

Kahlei tumbled backwards, crashing into a statue. She saw his lightsaber flying at her, she dodged. The statue smashed into pieces and fell down towards her. She dived away.

She had to fight back. He wasn't worried about killing her. No, it wasn't just that he wasn't worried. He wanted to kill her. She couldn't keep running. Jumping away to give herself time, she tried to reach for the force. The Dark Side. But the mental barrier stopped her.

Scourge charged towards her again, Kahlei parried. If she couldn't draw upon darkness, she'd have to draw upon light. This wasn't training. This was life or death. By the time she'd summoned it to her fingertips, it was too late. Scourge pushed her lightsabers out of the way, leaving her undefended from the next strike. His lightsaber crashed down on her shoulder. Kahlei shrieked, dropping the lightsaber on that side. When she looked up, she hoped to find remorse in his eyes. She found none.

There was no mercy. The attacks continued. She forced herself to grip her lightsaber with both hands. But it hurt.

"Look at how weak you are. It's no wonder Kira died."

Her face fell. She froze. Had he really said that? Hadn't he previously said it wasn't her fault?

"How can you protect others? You're too weak to even protect yourself! You're worthless. Stupid. Completely worthless. And you will die."

And then, something inside her snapped. The wall that held the darkness back crumbled away. Kahlei blocked his next attack. Power swarmed inside her, energising every cell in her body. It made her feel invincible. It was magnificent. She pushed Scourge away, he stumbled back. Kahlei clenched her jaw. Worthless? Stupid? He was going to regret that.

Not giving him chance to recover, she leapt forward. He saw it coming and parried. But she quickly slashed out at him. And it hit. She watched as her lightsaber cut through his armour, scorching the red skin beneath. But he didn't so much as wince. He didn't even seem to notice it. Instead, he grabbed her arm, leaving her dangling a few centimetres in the air. Luckily, it was the arm of her good shoulder. Although, the shoulder wouldn't be good for much longer with the strain of her weight.

Her lightsaber fell from her hands. Scourge let her feet drop to the ground, still holding on to her. Ignoring the pain, she tried to hit him with the other arm. But she was slow and Scourge had plenty of time to grab it. She wrestled against him, kicking out. He held her at arm's length.

She was going to make him pay. He'd betrayed her. Tried to kill her. He'd tried to hurt her with his words. Kahlei thrashed out.

But he didn't strike against her. He simply held her still.

"Calm yourself, Jedi."

Still caught up in her rage, she ignored his words and continued to fight her way out of his grasp.

"You did well."

Kahlei stopped.

"Although you allowed it to blind you, you broke away from the chains that held you down. Now you are free."

That had been part of the training? "You were going to kill me!"

"You needed to be put into a life or death situation so that your rage would break through the barrier." Content that she was calm, Scourge let her go. He reached into the medpac Doc had specially put together and threw her a kolto syringe.

"You were just trying to make me angry? You didn't mean what you said?" Scourge nodded at her, tending to his own wound. Kahlei motioned towards it. "Sorry about that."

He turned his eyes to the wound he'd inflicted on her shoulder. "As am I." When he'd finished with his wound, he gestured for her to sit back where they'd previously been.

Kahlei grinned. "I think that's the first time you've ever apologised to me."

But Scourge didn't see the amusement in that and simply grunted in response.

"Why was I able to draw upon the Dark Side without any barriers when I fought Wrath? Or did I break it? But if I did, why was there a new one? Will I always be blocked every time I use the force?"

"Hmm," he said. "I do not know. Perhaps your subconsciousness put it there after you defeated Wrath. I doubt it'll always block you. I you reach out for the force now, we can see if that's the case or not."

Nodding, she closed her eyes, focussing on Korriban's power that surrounded her. The shadows swarmed round her. This time nothing resisted it. It was beautiful, like the Light. But it didn't feel cool. It was hot. But not so hot that it was painful. What she'd felt in her rage was nothing compared to this. This was intense. She felt like she was part of Korriban and that it was part of her. The intensity didn't scare her. She welcomed it and didn't want to let go.


	20. Chapter 20

It was as if she were drifting through space. Weightless. Floating through air. No, water?

Xaryia opened her eyes and saw the twi'lek staring back. The twi'lek blinked for a few moments and then rushed round, shouting at humans in pristine lab coats. They gave the twi'lek a look of disdain - until they realised the sith was awake. They cautiously approached her and then pulled her out of the kolto tank that she'd been in. Skin glistening with kolto, she lay semi-conscious on the med bunk they'd put her on.

Still calm, her gaze trailed round the room. It appeared to be an unfamiliar med bay. And judging by the steady hum she could feel and hear, it also seemed that she was on some form of starship. But the twi'lek's blue face blocked her view.

"I thought you were never gonna wake up! Thank the stars, Xar!" The twi'lek placed the back of her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her giggling. "And that rhymes!"

"I've told you not to call me that," Xaryia grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, no need to be grateful to the person who just saved your life. Guess that's just what a  _slave's_ supposed to do."

Usually, Xaryia would have scolded the twi'lek for the tone she used. But she didn't have time to waste her time on that. No, something else had caught her attention.

Xaryia wiggled her right hand. It felt strange. It was as if it weren't attached. Yet it was. It was definitely there. She could feel it against the itchy covers of the bunk. And her right leg had a similar strange sensation. But when she looked down, it appeared as good as new. Cybernetics covered in synthflesh?

She scowled as the memories flooded back. Had she really been defeated by someone so inexperienced with the dark side? She'd been beaten at her own game. Humiliated. Was she really that weak? Snarling, Xaryia sat up. Apart from the twi'lek, those surrounding her backed away - even the droids.

"Hey, it's not that bad."

Xaryia dropped her bare feet on the floor as she glared at the twi'lek. "What else happened, slave?"

The twi'lek's face fell at the epithet. But only for a moment. "Jaesa's dead."

She narrowed her eyes. Jaesa had been slain by a mere togruta? Disgraceful. Almost as disgraceful as her own fight had been. But she couldn't entirely blame the traitor and his jedi friends. No, she'd been overconfident and foolish. She'd sensed instability in the Jedi - the one the Order called the 'Hero of Tython', and had tried to goad her into fury. Xaryia wrinkled her nose in disgust. She'd been surprised the Jedi hadn't risen to her taunts. But when Xaryia cut down her ally, the dam that had held back the Jedi's emotions had smashed open.

That other Jedi hadn't had this instability. If she'd cut down the Hero of Tython first, the other one wouldn't have had the strength to defeat her. She'd known the Jedi would have been furious at the death of her ally, but she'd imagined it'd have been blind rage. And it had been, until the traitor's words had helped the Jedi regain control.

For a moment, she thought one of the medics was actually going to stop her from leaving. She glared at him. "Lightsaber."

Swallowing the man nodded and pointed towards it. Not bothering to manually pick it up, she pulled it towards her with the force.

She felt fingertips tapping tentatively on her back. Whirling round, she realised it was the twi'lek. "Uh, where're you going?"

"I go where I want."

Xaryia stormed out of the room, hearing a, "Sure, sure," behind her.

Her earlier guess had been correct; this was some form of space station. A few Imperials dared to glance at her and the kolto that rolled off her skin and dripped on the floor, leaving a trail as she walked. They probably wondered why a bare footed, lightly garbed woman was wandering around. But when they saw her lightsaber, they hastily averted their eyes and hurried along. The corners of her lips curled up at their fear. Imperial cowardice never failed to amuse her. Well, it had failed once. At the time, that treacherous worm's - her Captain's, actions had certainly not been a laughing matter. But now, it did make her laugh. It amused her how she'd put so much care and trust into that slime. It'd been her own fault for doing so. It'd served as learning curve and a mistake that she'd never repeat.

A sith had to treat everyone as a threat. People may bow and grovel, but there was no way of knowing what they hid in their hearts. Or when they'd strike. But as soon as an opportunity struck, they would. Betrayal was inevitable. A sith couldn't allow themselves to be drawn in. If they did get drawn in, when they struck the offender then it would hurt even more than the betrayal itself. And there was the risk of being blind until the vibroknife was in their back. No. A sith had be cautious, ready for the knife to strike.

For example, those Imperial fools scurrying around her could have been hiding their malicious intentions. There was no way to tell. But if given the order, they would strike.

Xaryia found herself approaching a figure that refused to swerve out of her path. Instead, she found herself face to face with glowing red eyes and matching skin. She raised her head and stood with her legs about a shoulder width apart. Had he learnt of her failure?

"Wrath."

"Servant One."

"You failed."

"Did you just come here to mock me?"

The glowing eyes studied her more carefully. "We heard you had experienced major injuries." Xaryia studied him, too, watching for any hint of a sneer. But he remained stoic. "We had you transported you to our fortress." He marched back the way he'd come, gesturing for her to follow him.

Xaryia followed him down the corridor, passing more Imperials who didn't so much as blink at Servant One. His boots clanged against the floor, keeping a steady rhythm. They turned a corner and came face to face with a heavy door. Servant One fiddled with the side panel and the door slid open, metal scratching against metal.

The room was bare, save for the long, narrow table that was centred down the middle. Four sith were scattered round the table, but it was mostly filled with empty chairs. Amongst them was Servant Two, his hood pulled up as usual. She didn't recognise the other two, but from their calm demeanour and lack of individuality, she guessed they were other members of the Hand. The last one was different. His fiery presence suggested that he was not part of their group.

"The Wrath returns with empty hands, burnt as they snatched."

Xaryia narrowed her eyes at Servant Two. He had a talent for stating the obvious in a less obvious way. She clasped her hands behind her back. "The traitor had three jedi protecting him. One took down my apprentice, I took one of them down. The one who directly assisted him in attempting to murder the Emperor enraged and defeated me with the dark side. It was not what  _we_  predicted."

"This time the prey won't sit still," Servant Two said. Was he mocking her with his sing-song tone?

Servant One had made his way to the chair at the head of the table. He sat with his elbows on the table, fingers interlocked. "What Servant Two means is that you will be unable to use the relic to capture Scourge. His cells will have developed a resistance to it."

"Like a plague," Servant Two chimed.

Xaryia placed her hands on her hips, head raised high. "He is no match for me."

"But this jedi was," Servant One said.

Her eyebrow twitched. "It was a foolish mistake that will not happen again."

"Do not underestimate the traitor, Wrath," Servant One said. "If you fell so easily to the jedi, you have no chance against him."

She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth for a moment before she spoke. "Then I will nurture my hatred until I can crush them both."

Servant One waved his hand in the air, dismissing her words like one would to a child's impossible dream. "And that will be decades."

"Are you calling me weak? Do you doubt m-?"

"You are to show Vindrius," Servant One motioned to the sith who looked out of place, "what it means to be Wrath."

Xaryia eyed this Vindrius carefully. He was a pureblood, like the Hands and the former Wrath. She furrowed her brows. Did they mean to replace her with a pureblood? Had they intended for her to fail? Had they hoped she'd been killed so they could replace her with this new, pureblooded rising star? Vindrius's glowing eyes stared back at her. Or was it after they'd heard of her failure that they had to replace her? And had they reasoned the failure was because she wasn't a pureblood?

Either way, this child looked fresh out of the Academy. The lack of title demonstrated that much. He was in no shape to replace her. Not yet. She supposed that they wanted her to train him to eventually replace her. And what irked her even more was that she could sense the potential in him.

Xaryia's upper lip curled into a snarl. "I am capable of choosing my own apprentice."

Servant One folded his arms across his chest and raised his head to judge her. "Your last apprentice fell too easily. You are incapable of choosing a strong one."

Her snarl grew. She could see the logic. With no relic, she'd be fighting at least two strong opponents. And this understanding made her even more furious. But what she couldn't fathom was why the Hands didn't send several sith alongside her. Or why they'd picked out someone so inexperienced. "An elite strike team would ensure victory. Not some measly apprentice who can barely hold a lightsaber."

Vinidrius's face turned to a scowl, but only for a moment. Xaryia smirked. At least he knew his place.

"No, if we did that then more will become involved with our affairs. Vinidrius was chosen because of he's not involved in sith politics."

Xaryia supposed they were worried that more accomplished sith would discover that the Emperor was still alive and either that information would somehow leak into enemy's hands or that they would take advantage of the Emperor's weakened state. The Hands had already involved other sith on their quest for vengeance, but they'd revealed as little information as possible.

She bit down on the inside of her cheek. There was no choice in the matter. Whether she liked it or not, this was her new apprentice. Xaryia glanced round at their expression. The Hands were looking at her as if she were an idiot. And they'd treated her like one, too. She'd never felt so humiliated. (Well, apart from after a couple of Baras-traps she'd falled into.) That Jedi had ruined her career. Her reputation.

She hoped Vindrius wasn't incompetent. Waiting forever to get her vengeance would be torture. This fool was just going to slow her down.

Xaryia spun round towards the exit, bare heels digging into the durasteel. "Let's go then,  _boy._ "


	21. Chapter 21

Kahlei collapsed onto her blankets, feeling the sharp ache in every muscle as she fell. Scourge had warned her the training would be intense, but she hadn't imagined it'd be this bad. Actually, she was surprised he was even letting her have a moment's rest. He seemed to forget that she didn't have the immortality that gave him superhuman endurance. Wait. Superhuman? More like super-sith.

As soon as her breathing was steady again, Scourge spoke. Obviously he thought that as long as she could breathe, she could continue training.

"Your forms are still," Scourge furrowed his eye ridges, apparently searching for the best word to describe them, "Sloppy."

Sitting up, Kahlei leaned against the wall that she'd built her makeshift bed next to. "My Ataru is perfect."

"Yes, your Ataru may almost rival my own." Kahlei beamed at his half-compliment, choosing to ignore the arrogance that dripped from his words. "But your Soresu is off balance. In Shien, you put too much focus on defence rather than offence. Your Juyo is worse than a fresh acolyte's-"

"That's hardly my fault. The Jedi frown upon Juyo and no instructors teach it. If you want to learn it, you've only got holocrons. Then the Masters would confiscate them if they found out."

Scourge wrinkled his nose in disgust, now also sat down. "The Jedi limit themselves. Juyo is an extremely useful form."

He did have a point. Juyo was not commonly used by Jedi as it was deemed far too aggressive for their teachings of peace and no emotion. Scourge had said that she was far too predictable in her movements and suggested that she practiced Juyo, which was more chaotic than Ataru. She preferred the graceful acrobatics of Ataru, but she did admit that a mix of the two would give her more versatility.

Although Scourge still insisted she was "sloppy", she already felt like she'd massively improved. Then again, Scourge would call anything less than perfect sloppy. And his idea of perfect was having equal to his own abilities. Kahlei smirked. He may have been unable to feel emotions, but his arrogance was certainly intact.

Aside from rectifying her "terrible" combat habits and beginning to explore the nature of the dark side, she hadn't really learnt anything new. Not that the past few days hadn't been incredibly useful, of course.

"You know, it'd be great to learn some dark side tricks."

The scowl on Scourge's made her laugh, although she imagined it'd give any force blind - and probably most force users - recurring nightmares. "The dark side is no trick, Jedi." Scourge paused for a moment, running his fingers over the metal bead on his face tendril as he thought. "Although force lightning would qualify for your idea of a 'trick'."

"Learning to use lightning sounds useful - unlike perfecting my already perfect forms."

Rolling his eyes at her snarky comment, Scourge lifted a huge slab of the crumbled statue - the one he'd broken days earlier when fighting (trying to kill) her - and placed it on top of a raised platform at the side. He gestured towards it. "That is to be your target."

Kahlei eyed her target. Maybe if she lifted her hands and cackled like she'd seen some Sith do, lightning would pop out. Although cackling madly at a rock would just be weird. She squeezed her hands open and close, hoping something would happen.

Scourge watched her for a moment and then sent a quick blast of lightning at it. Kahlei frowned. He'd done it so casually and made it look so easy.

"You're just showing off," she said. "You haven't even told me how to do it."

"It's easy, Jedi. Allow all of your anger flow through you and then into the target."

Kahlei narrowed her eyes, following Scourge's instructions. There was a small spark and Kahlei grinned in glee. But then it was gone. Frustrated, she tried again - the same thing happened.

"You're not using your emotions," Scourge said.

"Wanting to be angry doesn't just make me angry."

"No, you're repressing it. You have anger; your Jedi teachings are just preventing you from freeing it."

He was right about the angry part. She was still furious at the Council for lying to her and forcing her into a situation that ultimately ended with Kira's death. And if it hadn't ended with Kira's, it would have most likely ended with Scourge's. Although, she wasn't entirely sure if he was immortal to the point where he was invincible. Well, if he couldn't die, he'd have been condemned to eternal torture at the hands of Wrath. Which was even worse than death.

Thinking this, she felt her rage bubble. But it didn't boil. The previous times that she'd allowed it to take over, she'd been caught up in a fight - fearing for her life. Simply willing to be angry wasn't enough. Even when she could feel true rising, it wasn't wild. It wasn't raw emotion.

Kahlei sighed. "Isn't there another way? How do you do it? You can't even feel."She immediately regretted her bluntness. But fortunately, Scourge seemed unaffected by her words.

"I have had centuries of experience, but you have never cast lightning before. The only way for you to learn is through an emotional outburst. Once you know how to do it, then it will become much easier to use it whenever it is required."

So, somehow she was going to have to unleash her anger. Maybe it'd help if she reached out for Korriban's power whilst reflecting on her thoughts.

Like Scourge had shown her, she simply opened her mind to the darkness. As usual, it was brilliant, beautiful and bewildering. She felt it electrify every part of her body, increasing awareness as she ran through various scenarios.

If she'd agreed to the Council's demands, Scourge would have died. She had disobeyed them, and Kira had died. The only other alternative would have been if the Council had not had been so cowardly and had assisted her in stopping Wrath. Nobody would have got hurt. Sure, they'd have risked Coruscant. But countless civilians weren't as important.

Her breathing stopped for a moment, surprised and utterly horrified by what she'd just thought. She was turning into something ghastly. Kahlei shook her head. No, this wasn't her fault. The Council refused to protect her friends. This was their fault. Even if they had, they wouldn't have even been helpful. They were weak. They were supposedly powerful, but nearly all members were old and withered. The weight of a lightsaber in their hands would have likely caused them to crumble - much like the magnificent looking statue that had crumbled so easily under Scourge's power. And their teachings were just as weak. Maybe one day she'd reform the Order, creating teachings that were actually logical and a Council who weren't blind or stupid. Their ridiculous rules simply served to create frustration. Maybe the Council simply enjoyed asserting their power over others. It wouldn't have surprised her. They were hypocrites.

Kahlei glared at that rock again, with what felt like actual electricity surging through her body. When she lifted her hands, she hardly needed to think for this electricity to pulse out of her and into the rock. After the lightning had faded from its surface, half of it fell off where the crack had been formed. She did this again and again and again, until the rock was nothing but smouldering sand.

When she gazed down at her hands, she saw charred holes in her palms. Then the pain kicked in. Was that meant to happen? But Scourge mentioned nothing of it, so she decided that it was a first time thing.

She couldn't deny how exhilarating it had been to vent out her hatred on the rock. It had been power unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.

Scourge, too, was staring at the remains of the rock. "Had that been a person, then they would have been vaporised."

The thought of easily vaporising enemies was exciting. From being struck by force lightning in the past, she knew the excruciating pain it inflicted. And now, she would be able to deliver the same torment.

A large part of her consciousness was thrilled at the prospect, but an almost equal part was disgusted. In fear, Kahlei shut off the energy she'd been channelling from Korriban, leaving only what resided in her. She felt the darker side of her mind recede. The external power had freed and amplified it, to the point where it had almost had total control over her. She would have been lost in the wave of dark energy, her own consciousness having no power against it. She would have become a mindless servant of the dark side, only desiring for more and more power. Sure, it'd have made her even more powerful. But it would have rendered her from directing that power towards important causes - like protecting the people she cared about.

And it was at that moment that Kahlei realised the risk in her chosen path. The dark side tempted her to completely give up her own mind each time she used it. And each time, the whispers of power in her head were growing louder and louder. If she were to wield the dark side without becoming a hungering puppet, she would have to have an even greater strength of will. She would have to be able to switch the dark side on and off like a switch.

As it stood, she could use the light when not channelling the dark energy, preparing her mind to resist the temptation. That was how she'd blocked Korriban's energy out. She would use the light to switch the darkness off and her emotions to switch it on.

Scourge must have sensed the abrupt change in her, for his glowing eyes flickered to scrutinise her. "Why do you block it? The power here will strengthen your own."

"I don't want to lose control."

"You're limiting yourself," Scourge objected.

"But you always say that controlling it instead of letting it control you is important."

"But you're not controlling it. You're simply shutting it off, so that there's nothing to control. And my point is that if you allow it to control you in combat, then it can blind you and hasten your death. But you are not in combat, nor are your emotions particularly strong."

Kahlei just shrugged and returned to perching on her blankets, rubbing some healing salve into her burnt hands. Scourge sighed and let the matter drop, probably realising that she wasn't going to give in on this. They sat in silence for a few moments until Kahlei finished and screwed the lid of the pot back on. "Do you think what Wrath said was true?" she asked, rather randomly.

"Regarding what?"

"My parents. The Order always told me they were Jedi - and so did my parents when they discovered my force sensitivity. Why would they lie about it? Surely what Wrath said was wrong."

"Your Order are known for their lies and manipulation. They turn their warriors into mere puppets - and their warriors let them."

He still insisted that they were 'her' Order and it did irritate her. But Wrath's words bothered her more. "Why would my parents lie?"

"Perhaps they feared you'd become Sith. You said that the Council permanently blocked their connection to the force. Perhaps they refused to walk the path of the light and so the Council removed the threat."

"The Council only do that as a punishment for the worst crimes. If my parents turned on the Empire and worked with the Jedi, then yeah, I can see the Jedi offering redemption. But if they refused, they'd let them go and keep an eye on them."

"Unless they deemed them too dangerous because of their previous crimes," Scourge said. He paused. "I do recall a rather high-ranking Sith Lord requesting to complete my assignment herself. When I asked, she said she sought vengeance on those who'd killed her husband."

"I thought you got your orders straight from the Emperor? How did she know what you were doing?"

"I built myself a fearsome reputation in the time I served the Emperor." Kahlei could hear the pride in his voice. "I was well-known and avoided - even by those on the Dark Council. Many Sith knew I acted as the Emperor's Executioner - that's why they feared me. It is likely that she simply assumed that I would be the one to deal with the two Sith that had hindered the Emperor's plans."

"Two Sith?" Kahlei frowned. It was seeming more and more probable that Wrath had been honest. "What were their names?"

"Lord Sicaron and Lord Malyssa."

Kahlei shook her head. Her parents' names had been far plainer than those. But if they had been hiding their new lives from the Empire, then it wouldn't be absurd for them to have changed their names.

There was no way to know if those Sith had been her parents. Whilst it was starting to seem likely, there was nobody to confirm it. Well, the Council would have known. But they wouldn't tell her now. And if those Sith were her parents, they'd kept it from her on purpose.

"All they told me was that a Sith had killed them. They were defenceless; it was slaughter," Kahlei said. "I hated you Sith. I swore to my Masters that I would exterminate you all. Not that they were pleased."

She could see the muscles round Scourge's eyes twitch, but he didn't display any form of hostility at her words. "What changed?"

"I grew up, realised that vengeance was wrong and that it wouldn't bring them back. Although, I still thought you were all monsters until I met Praven. It was then that I realised you're still people - for the most part - and still have light inside-"

"You will find no light inside me, Jedi."

"Oh, but I've already sensed it."

Scourge gave her a dark look, as if proving just how much of a 'big bad' Sith he was. Kahlei just laughed. Her words had been a lie, but an opportunity to tease the Sith was too much fun to pass on. She suspected the ritual the Emperor had performed on him had turned his aura into a dark void. If the curse was lifted, Kahlei was fairly certain there'd be a faint sliver of light there.

Not that the light was strong. From her recent experiences, it was nothing compared to the dark side. But it gave control, focus and good intentions. And she believed that if she tempered the dark side with some typical light side qualities, she'd be even stronger.


	22. Chapter 22

When Scourge returned to the rented room, Kahlei rolled off from her back and on to her stomach, peering at him from the bed she'd stretched out on. She let out a long sigh. "Finally!"

He remained by the doorway in his typical, arms folded pose. "I thought I would find you at those slot machines you were excited about."

"Well, I  _was_  there. But then you took so long and I got bored." She propped her head up with a palm. "And the only good prize was a pet rancor but I don't think Rusk or Doc would be happy about keeping one on our ship. Although... there was a bantha toy. But I couldn't even win that. I swear even their booby prizes are rigged!"

Scourge raised an eye ridge. "You were trying to win a stuffed toy?"

"Not just any stuffed toy. It was made from real bantha hide!"

"I see," he said in a monotone voice.

"No, you don't understand. I used to have one just like it."

Scourge pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"It was my favourite toy. And the Order made me throw it away when I told them it reminded me of my family."

"That sounds  _extremely_  traumatising."

"It was!" Kahlei replied, "They pulled me away from my home - at five years old - and all I had was that toy."

Scourge just gave her a blank look.

"Didn't you have any comfort teddies like that, Scourge?"

He seemed utterly bewildered by her question and also offended. "My childhood was preparation for the Academy. The only gifts my parents presented to me were weapons.."

"That's kinda sad. No wonder you turned out like this."

He rolled his eyes. "This is an inane conversation."

"Aren't they the best kind?"

From the expression Scourge made, clearly he didn't think so.

Kahlei sat up. "So, what's this surprise you took so long to set up?"

"It is not a surprise, Jedi. I have merely been arranging something that I wish to show you."

The day before, Scourge had decided that they were ready to leave Korriban and so they had arrived on Nar Shaddaa that morning. He'd left her in the rented room, saying that he'd be a few hours at most and that she should entertain herself whilst he was gone. Unfortunately - for Kahlei, anyway - the few hours had turned out to be several. She guessed that this surprise was going to be some sort of dark relic. Although, she wasn't sure Nar Shaddaa was the best place to hunt for such items.

"If it's not a surprise, then why didn't you want me to go with you?"

"You would slow me down - much like you are currently doing."

Pouting, Kahlei pulled her boots back on and followed him out the door. The corridor had a deep green rug running down the centre of it and the walls were decorated by glowing lights of all sorts of colours. They seemed particularly fond of purple and yellow, which really clashed with the green, and Kahlei decided that whoever had designed the interior of the skyrise apartments should have considered choosing a different career.

Upon reaching the turbolift at the end of the corridor, Scourge turned his head to glance back at Kahlei. "Do you recall how to conceal yourself with the force?"

Kahlei nodded. How could she not forget it? He'd made her do it over and over again, until it was as close to perfection as it could possibly be.

"Good. Do not hide your presence from force sense, only from force-blind senses."

"How do I do that?"

Scourge sighed. "Never mind. Follow my presence through the force and I will have to trust that you don't get yourself lost."

"I won't," she promised. But Scourge didn't look as sure. After leaving the skyrise block, they hopped into a rather large speeder and Kahlei grinned. "Infiltration sounds fun."

"We're not here for fun."

* * *

When they reached a rather plain-looking building, Scourge nodded for her to use the technique. She reached out for the pain and suffering that fuelled the dark side of the force on Nar Shadda. She'd always despised it, and so it felt strange to be drawing upon it. Like Scourge had shown her, she wrapped the force around her to hide.

This building was the complete opposite to the skyrise block. It was only a few stories high - maybe three - and there was certainly no flashy corridor. As she followed Scourge, the sound of people talking grew louder and louder. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to a large room, with people of all different species crowded together. But Scourge didn't give her a moment to take in her surroundings and she quickly scampered after him before she was too far away to easily detect him.

Scourge finally stopped and crouched behind some storage crates, now visible in plain sight. Before doing the same, Kahlei took a good look at what was going on.

It appeared to be some kind of market, but she couldn't see any goods being sold. Scruffy looking people were bartering with pristine looking people. Kahlei watched as a young twi'lek was lead to an elaborately dressed gentleman. And then, she saw the shock collar. The slaves were the goods.

Eyes wide, Kahlei dropped beside Scourge. She turned to speak, but Scourge placed a finger on his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Reluctantly, she nodded.

He pulled out a device. Was it a switch? Kahlei bit her lip. A detonator? He then gestured towards the crowd. As he pressed the button, Kahlei winced. But nothing bad happened. Instead, the shackles and shock collars of the slaves simultaneously dropped off.

She leaned closer to Scourge and whispered, "You freed them? That's not like you."

"I want you to contemplate what you witness."

Kahlei turned her attention back towards the scene. The slavers were panicking and most slaves stood there in shock. A few slaves had taken advantage of the situation and were already making their way to the nearest exit. Then, the rest followed their lead. But the slavers reacted with their vibroblades, fists and feet. The slaves fought back, fighting for their freedom. Men, women, children and elders, they all fought for their lives. Kahlei turned away, sickened by what she'd just seen: a slaver kicking at a rodian boy. The man kicked and kicked and kicked, until the boy lay lifeless. Kahlei was about to leap to her feet, but Scourge's arm stayed her.

"We have to help them!"

"No. Watch."

The slavers were outnumbered, and eventually the slaves were victorious. Kahlei smiled in relief, although still disgusted by what she'd just witnessed. Her smile vanished when she saw the slaves spitting, hitting, and cutting at the already brutalised slaver corpses. She averted her gaze.

Scourge stood and revealed himself to the slaves. They looked up at this Sith Lord, most cowering in fear. It was no surprise that slaves feared Sith the most.

"I have freed you for I sensed great power within you all. I desire an apprentice. The strongest one - the last one standing - will serve me."

What was he doing? She couldn't sense any force sensitivity amongst them.

Chaos broke out beneath her. Slaves of all ages went rabid. None of them even looked like people. She sat with her back to crate, head cradled in her hands. She could hear the screams, fall of bodies and crushing of bone.

These were just ordinary people. How could they be reduced to such monsters?

Finally, the noises died down and she felt Scourge's hand on her shoulder. Kahlei crawled out of the hiding place. Bodies were piled up and blood made the tiling of the floor unrecogonisable One male kaleesh stood in the centre of the room, blood oozing out of more wounds than she could count. He didn't wince as he bowed. "Master. How may I serve you?"

Scourge didn't reply. Instead, he raised his hand. The survivor gripped his neck, gurgled and dropped to the floor. Dead.

Kahlei fell back off from her knees. Why? Why had Scourge down this? Tears falling, she leapt to her feet and pushed angrily at Scourge's chest. "What have you done?!"

She reached out to shove him again, this time with the force behind her. But Scourge grabbed both her arms.

"Why?" she wailed, not even trying to resist his grasp. "You killed them all!"

"I only killed one. They killed each other."

"No!" She tried to writhe away, but he held her still. Eventually, she gave up. "You caused this! All of this suffering!"

"No," Scourge stated calmly. He let one her arms go and it dangled aimlessly by her side. Then, he lifted her chin - an action he regularly used when he wanted her to carefully listen to his words. "If anything, this was a mercy."

"A mercy?!" She yanked her head away. "Can you even hear yourself?"

The way he remained silent and simply analysed her expression furthered her fury.

"Is this what you wanted to show me? Just how sick you are?"

"I wanted to show you the true nature of people," Scourge said.

"What? That they care about their own lives?"

"No. You need to learn that your insistence on saving 'innocent lives' is foolish cause and will lead to your demise. Gaze down there, Jedi. Nobody is innocent. Nobody is worth saving at the cost of your own life. You should only be concerned with your survival."

"You're a monster, Scourge."

"But we all are."

In disbelief, Kahlei shook her head at him. But she'd lost her rage - it'd turned to grief. And then, she wept.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Scourge's blurry figure studying her. Perhaps the only consolation was that he didn't have that psychotic look he'd had back on Taris.

Kahlei shook her head. She'd known that he'd go to great lengths to prove a point. She'd known he had no concern over life or inflicting suffering. On Taris, she'd thought that she'd seen the worst of him. But this? This was disgusting.

Was this what it meant to walk the dark side? Would she turn into someone like Scourge?

She turned towards him, not caring how obvious the hurt was in her eyes. There really was no light in him. "Why?" Her voice came out as a whimper. "Why couldn't you just tell me?"

"This was the only way to make you understand."

The way he said it made her feel responsible. She flickered her eyes to the dull floor under her feet, not wanting to look at him or the death that lay behind her.

When she finally found it in her to look back up, she found that Scourge was still watching her, frowning. "I expected for you to be angrier than this, Jedi."

"What? You want me to hate you? Because you're going the right way about it."

"I don't benefit from you hating me." Scourge narrowed his eyes for a few minutes, ignoring the disdain that she had written upon her face. "Would you feel better if I won a stuffed bantha for you?"

Had he not turned his back to her, she would have smacked him.


	23. Chapter 23

Scourge watched the Jedi walk out of the fighting ring and wipe away the blood that was beginning to trickle down her forehead and into her eyes. Over the past week, she had mostly been ignoring him and when he'd questioned her behaviour, she'd told him that she had nothing to say to him. He had hoped that the situation he had set up would make her understand how foolish her beliefs were, but so far she had shown no indication of swaying from them. And it was unfortunate. The merciful and self sacrificial traits that the Jedi had taught her were preventing her from fully embracing the darkness - from fully embracing her true strength. She had so much potential in the dark side; it would be a waste.

Perhaps the only notable change so far was her blood lust. She had decided to return to Giradda, who was more than happy for his 'champion' to engage in more pit fighting. The last time they'd been here, it was obvious how much she had enjoyed the experience. But she'd quickly hidden her feelings out of shame. Now, she made no effort to hide her feelings. Scourge supposed this was a small improvement.

Of course, she hadn't discussed her idea to return to Giradda with him: she had simply arrived here and he had followed. When he had asked her about it, she had simply said, "Credits," in a flat voice. He guessed that now her Order no longer supplied a healthy budget to her account, she was running low on funds. But this wasn't just for practical reasons: she was enjoying this even more than the first time.

Although most of her opponents were force blind, many still proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Scourge had noted that she was utilising many of the new techniques that he had taught her: force lightning, force choking and using the force to hide herself. He was especially pleased to see that she was beginning to incorporate Juyo into her usual Ataru, although he'd witnessed several instances where using a more defensive form like Soresu would have given her an advantage.

The main thing that he wanted her to overcome was how she still continued to resist her emotions. She needed to free them, to draw upon them. In the midst of a fight, she certainly did, but he could tell that she was holding it back. Scourge frowned. He'd wanted the experience with the slaves to help to free her from the restraints the Jedi had imposed upon her, but perhaps it had scared her into holding onto her values even more. Maybe he had misjudged the situation and should have waited a little longer before exposing her to the truth? Either way, it was too late to be questioning it. The only thing that he could do now was to salvage what was left and focus on more positive developments: like the blood lust.

"Isn't it liberating to not have to disguise your blood lust?"

For a moment, the Jedi looked at him and narrowed her eyes. But then she turned away and strode into the crowd. He wasn't at all surprised by the lack of a vocal reply and followed her.

The crowd continued to cheer. The Jedi had earned herself quite a reputation. She had taken down some of the most notorious gladiators in their community and now they were practically worshipping her. He hoped it would inflate her ego. Arrogance was a trait that she most definitely required.

Finally, the spectators parted and allowed the Jedi to make her way to Giradda. The Hutt's enormous chair was certainly more lavishly decorated than it had previously been and Scourge supposed the Jedi's victories had helped to feed Giradda's greed.

When they were in front of the Hutt, he clapped. "Magnificent as always, Jedi. I told them that next time you were willing to fight two opponents at once!"

Scourge watched as Kahlei placed her hands on her hips and raised her head. It was the typical pose that she seemed to utilise whilst dealing with the Hutt: display of dominance. "Did I say I was willing to do that?"

"Then I will tell them you're too cowardly."

The Jedi folded her arms across her chest. Scourge noted it was defensive body language. "I am no a coward. I will do it."

Upon hearing the pride in her voice, Scourge restrained from smirking. Yes, an arrogance was certainly beginning to develop. Perhaps her potential wouldn't go to waste after all.

The Hutt chuckled. "Good, good."

Kahlei held out her palm. "Credits now, Giradda."

Giradda said something in Huttese and one of his slaves rushed towards Kahlei, handing her a datapad. She studied it and then frowned. Glancing over her shoulder, he could see that it showed the credit transfer from the Hutt's account to the Jedi's and noticed what had caused her to frown: an intentional error.

"We agreed that I would take forty five percent of the earnings, not thirty five," Kahlei said.

The Hutt waved his hands in defence. "We agreed thirty five."

Scourge could feel the irritation inside her grow at the comment and suppressed an even bigger smirk. Her emotions were becoming much more volatile.

"I heard Kabbura is very generous and would be more than happy to hire me."

Giradda scowled. "Fine. Forty five percent." He waved at one of the slaves. "Even Kabbura isn't that generous."

The new datapad showed an exact forty five percent transfer of the winnings and Kahlei handed it back to the slave, appearing to be content with it. Apparently the Jedi'd had enough pit fighting for the day and without a word to the Hutt, stormed out of the room. And of course, Scourge followed.

As usual, the drive back to the rented apartment was in complete silence. On one occasion, they made eye contact but Kahlei instantly turned away.

He'd expected - almost hoped - that she'd be angry. But he'd wished for her to have a fiery temper, rather than this cool one. It didn't quite seem like hatred and seemed more like a disappointment. It was a shame, for an actual temper would have been beneficial to her progress. Although, a long term hatred towards him wouldn't have been beneficial for his plan.

It wasn't really much of a plan. He had simply decided that he would follow Kahlei for the rest of her life. When she died, he would follow one of her descendants. Then another and another and another - until the end of time. And obviously if Kahlei hated him, following her around would be difficult.

While it wasn't his ideal way to spend eternity, it was simply the best option he had. He was unable to return to the Empire, except as a prisoner. It was also possible that he'd manage to convince the Order to allow him to become a Jedi, but that was even worse than spending eternity as a prisoner. Or he could remain hidden with no purpose.

The only problem with this plan was the possibility that Kahlei wouldn't produce offspring. That had seemed likely whilst she'd insisted on following the path of light, but fortunately it now seemed less likely. He wasn't actually sure what path she was following. Some moments, he thought she was embracing the Dark Side, others the Light Side.

Although it reminded him of Revan, it was very different. Revan had been able to simultaneously channel both the dark and light sides of the force. Kahlei, on the other hand, appeared to be flickering back and forth between the two. But he supposed that it was preferable to her staying fixed to the light.

For a moment, Scourge was slightly worried that the Jedi would activate the Skyrise's turbolift whilst he was stepping on to it. He was surprised to see her checking to see that he was on it before selecting their designated floor. He stared at one side of the glass that only showed blurriness of their surroundings outside the tube.

There was a viable alternative to having to spend eternity following Kahlei's descendants. That Darth Nox, who was head of the sphere of ancient knowledge, had claimed that she could rid him of his immortality. But he doubted it would be possible. After all, the Emperor had made it clear that his curse was irreversible.

However, he could sense great power within Nox - perhaps even more than he had sensed within Revan. But Nox's felt unnatural: not dissimilar from the Emperor's, but far weaker. He concluded that there was a small possibility that it would work, but it was highly unlikely.

Besides, Nox had mentioned nothing of him regaining his emotions and other senses. What if Nox succeeded in removing his immortality, but failed at returning those senses? Would it be better to die than to live an eternity of no emotions?

Scourge frowned. Living longer would increase the likelihood that he'd find a way to regain his emotions. Perhaps eternity would be more beneficial.

The Jedi's voice snapped him away from his thoughts. "You're still following me around?" Her tone wasn't hostile - it was more curious than anything else. Yet her tone still had the same exhaustion that it'd had over the past week. Or perhaps it was disappointment?

"Unfortunately, I have nowhere else to go. Otherwise I would have gone there a long time ago."

Kahlei shrugged.

"But if you wish, I can find myself somewhere else."

She said nothing and stared at the polished white tiles of the floor.

The lift binged as they reached the floor that their apartment was situated on and the doors slid open. And once again, their journey was filled with silence whereas once there would have been chatter. Not that he missed the chatter, of course, it was just an observation.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Kahlei wasted no time in collapsing onto the sofa and flicking the television set on. Scourge noticed that she purposely lay so that she took up the entire sofa. As he made his way to sit on his bed in the far corner of the room, he noticed her turning the volume up far louder than she usually had it on the ship. Kahlei switched the channel several times, but there seemed to be a major Huttball match that was being broadcasted onto nearly every channel. Scourge could tell that the Jedi was simply staring at the screen rather than actually watching it.

Scourge rolled the hilt of his lightsaber between his hands for a few minutes, trying to remember what the metal felt like. Then, he turned his eyes back towards the Jedi who hadn't appeared to have moved at all. He sighed and folded his arms across his broad chest. "This is foolish, Jedi. You refuse to accept the truth, although you have witnessed it with your own eyes."

Her gaze still glued to the screen, Scourge watched as she pressed her lips together several times, as if trying to find the exact words that she wished to say. When she finally found them, Scourge was surprised at how weak her voice sounded, rather than angry. "You manipulated them. How is that the truth?"

"I did no such thing. I merely found the location and time of the slave market and had a device made that would deactivate their shock collars and shackles. You saw the rest. Tell me, did you sense me using a mind trick on them?" As Scourge spoke, one hand gestured in the air before returning to its previous position.

"No, but your word-"

"My words? I simply told them that only one of them could be free. Then they turned on each other as easily as they'd turned on their slavers. They only needed a reason for their savagery."

Scourge watched Kahlei pick at a loose thread on one of the sofa's cushions, hopefully mulling over his words. "Do you believe that everyone is evil or just has the potential?"

"The potential. But there is no being who would not commit evil if given the right circumstances. Yes, some need less reason than others, but all would." He paused for a minute, allowing his words to sink into her head. "When I say evil, Jedi, I mean your belief on what evil is."

"I don't understand."

"What you and I consider to be evil actions are different. You would say that how everyone in that room behaved was evil, whereas I would call it self preservation."

"If you don't believe that self preservation is evil, then you don't believe the Emperor was evil?"

"No," Scourge said. "The Emperor was maddened by his fear of death. He wished to sacrifice an entire galaxy and be the ruler of nothing. There is a difference."

The Jedi brought her knees closer to her chest and hugged them. "Even my master, Orgus, had darkness in him. As do I. As did," the Jedi's voice faltered, "Kira. I wouldn't be surprised if even Master Shan did. If even some of the purest Jedi have darkness within them, everyone does. But if someone never wrongs, then surely they are innocent?"

"But they have the potential to do evil. They are not as innocent as you like to believe."

"But if everyone is born with the potential to do evil, then surely everyone is also born with the potential to do good?"

Scourge furrowed his eye ridges. "Perhaps."

"I still believe that there's good in you, or at least the potential. And that all Sith have the potential. Maybe even the Emperor before he became the Emperor."

He wanted to be irritated at her words, but was unable to be. Instead, he settled for feigning an irritated expression.

"But why couldn't you just talk to me about this, Scourge?"

"You wouldn't have understood. Now you do. You should concern yourself with your own survival, rather than the survival of those 'innocent lives' around you."

"What about for people I care about?" Kahlei asked. "You're saying I shouldn't care about their survival?"

"I'm saying not to throw your life away for a stranger, because you believe they are 'innocent' and don't deserve what life threw at them. It is stupid. As is throwing your life away for a friend, but that is slightly more understandable. And I doubt I would ever be able to change your view on that."

Kahlei was quiet for a moment and then peered over the armrest. "Would you be sad if I died?"

"I cannot feel such emotions."

"But if you could?"

Scourge ground his teeth together and the Jedi's expression grew more and more curious. "Perhaps a little. What purpose do I have other than following you around?"

Despite the logic he added to the admission, the Jedi's face grew too happy for his liking. She then narrowed her eyes. "But not enough to make you do something 'stupid' like self sacrifice?"

"Correct."

"But if saving me imposed very little risk to your own life, then you'd consider saving me?"

"Maybe."

Then Jedi stared at him for a few moments, as if he were a puzzle and his words had been pieces of it. "I still haven't forgiven you for what you've done."

Scourge frowned. This concept of forgiveness was unfamiliar to him. In Sith Society, if someone wronged him then they would nearly always die. And likewise, if he wronged someone then they would have tried to kill him and would have died in the process. Forgiveness was alien.

In the long run, getting the Jedi to forgive him would be more beneficial. That's why he'd decided to get her that bantha toy she'd been talking about. But that had fuelled her rage, as apparently "a toy wouldn't bring those people back to life." He'd believed that forgiveness could be earned by giving said person what they wished. But he'd been wrong. Material goods had failed. How else did one go about earning forgiveness?

Scourge wrinkled his nose. No, it really wasn't worth the effort. In time, she would forget.


	24. Chapter 24

Somehow Kahlei had managed to sneak out without Scourge following her around. His brooding expressions and general sithy looks didn't tend to attract company.

Kahlei was sat in the corner with the Zab'rak whom she'd previously been dancing with. For the first time in a while, she felt happy. There was no threat of a super weapon looming over her nor was she currently dwelling on death. No, she felt free. She glanced down at her empty glass. Then again, that feeling might have just been the Corellian Blue.

Unfortunately, her mood was killed when she noticed a familiar dark figure approaching the table she was sat at. Kahlei groaned, her head inches from the table. Why did he always have to follow her?

When it was apparent that the Sith was heading towards them, the Zab'rak made up some lame excuse about having to go and he scampered off. Kahlei scowled at Scourge as he drew nearer. She'd told him that she was going out and for him to stay put in their apartment. Clearly he was incapable of following simple instructions. Her scowl sharpened as she realised he was smirking.

"It appears that I frightened your partner." Scourge gazed at the fleeing figure and shook his head. "Pathetic coward."

"Urgh. You ruin everything," Kahlei mumbled, but mostly to the table's shiny surface.

"I hardly ruined that. You can do far better than someone that cowardly and weak, Jedi."

"I don't care about strength."

Scourge frowned. "But that would make for a poor match."

"What makes you think I'm interested in a relationship?"

Scourge's smirk grew wider. "Then you sought physical intimacy?"

"No. No, it's not like that. I came here to socialise."

"Really? You seemed a little too close to that Zab'rak for merely 'socialising'."

Kahlei locked her gaze back onto the table. Scourge never passed up an opportunity to tease her. "I came to meet people."

"It's perfectly natural, Jedi. The only reason I used to visit places like here was to fuel my passion. But that was before I met Nyriss."

"Nyriss? Was that your 'first love'?"

Her question made Scourge grin, but it wasn't mocking or cruel. He was simply amused. "No, Nyriss was the Sith who revealed the Emperor's plans to me. She was old and withered; you have no reason to be jealous."

Kahlei raised both of her eyebrows, taken aback by the absurdity of his statement. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Because you desire me, Jedi."

She averted her eyes, trying to stop the reddening of her cheeks. "No. That's not true."

Scourge narrowed his eyes, studying her. "I thought you had progressed past this. Yet you are still ashamed of such feelings. I almost pity you for what your Council have done to you."

"I'm not ashamed because I don't have 'such feelings' towards you."

"Denying it doesn't make it any less true, Jedi."

"We have a good thing going. If it were true, I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship."

Scourge smirked. "Friendship? I was under the impression that you still hated me."

"Only a little." Kahlei tried to hide her relief at the conversation changing direction to a topic she was more comfortable discussing. And she certainly didn't give Scourge a chance to revert it back. "Did you just come here to torment me, then?"

Scourge reached into a pocket and pulled out a holocomm - hers. He slid it across the table. "It seems that you left that behind."

Kahlei shrugged. "Yeah, for a reason."

Scourge raised an eyeridge but didn't quiz her on it. "The Togruta attempted to contact you."

"What about?"

"Darth Nox."

Kahlei sat up. There was only one reason why Nox would want to speak to her. "Nox wants to start the ritual?"

"Indeed. I told Ashara that Nox would have to wait until you have completed your training, but Ashara insisted that Nox refuses to wait."

"This is going to get your emotions back, but you don't sound excited?" Kahlei asked.

Scourge shook his head. "There is no guarantee that it will. Rather, I highly doubt that it will. The Emperor said the curse was irreversible."

"But what if the Emperor was lying? What if it does work? Surely it's worth a shot?"

"That is why I originally agreed to Nox's terms. But I will not be sharing your optimism, Jedi."

"So, we're doing this now, then?" Well, there went her previous joy of having no responsibility and being free. Not that it bothered her too much. After all, this time it would be just to help a friend. And she doubted a galaxy wide crisis would arise from this.

"If you are content to do so. As for your training, you refuse to listen to what I have to say, anyway. It is a shame for it would make you stronger."

"I listen, but I don't agree. There's a difference."

Scourge just shook his head at her comment, probably in disappointment. "We will need to proceed with caution. I sensed great power in Nox and it reminded me of the Emperor's."

"In what way?"

"The majority of the Emperor's power was not his own and it gave his power a distinct feel to it. I believe Nox has found an external source of power to increase her own."

"You think she consumed an entire planet like the Emperor?" Kahlei asked.

"No, her power was far too weak for that. I do not know how she has done it and that is why we must be even more careful."

"Mm. And Wrath said that Nox was the one who made that thing that stopped you from moving. Do you think that's how she found out about the curse?"

"Most likely," Scourge said. "She agreed to assist us, yet she barely helped and failed to inform us of it."

"You think she betrayed us?"

"I do not know, but she is playing a game, Jedi. We cannot trust her but we can use her to attempt to remove the curse. Do not let your guard down."

* * *

The clanging of her boots against the durasteel floor of her starship was a welcome change. Not that she had despised the weeks that she'd been on Nar Shaddaa, although once she would have. There was injustice on every street on the moon and she was powerless to stop it, but it wasn't all bad. Actually, you could have a pretty good time if you ignored the suffering.

But she had missed her starship. It was home. And she'd missed Teeseven, even though he'd regularly been checking in with her, and she'd found herself missing SeeTwo, despite how irritating the droid could be. She'd also missed Doc, although not the constant 'beautiful' this and that, and of course, she'd missed Rusk.

Kahlei had contacted both Doc and Rusk, but Rusk was engaged in some fight for the Republic (he'd spoken so fast that she hadn't even caught what he'd been saying). Doc, however, had agreed to meet them on Tatooine.

After returning to the starship, Kahlei had contacted Ashara via Holo and had been told to go to Tatooine to the same cave as their first meeting. Ashara had simply said that this would be 'in person' and had avoided from using Nox's name during the call. Kahlei remembered that Nox had told Ashara to join her so that Nox wouldn't need to use a holocomm. When she'd previously asked Ashara, she'd been told that this was because Nox was being careful. Kahlei narrowed her eyes. Nox seemed to think every detail through. It really did seem like Scourge's comment about Nox playing a game was true.

Kahlei paced back and forth past the holoterminal, anxious for their arrival on Tatooine. Since she'd returned to the ship, Teeseven had refused to let her out of his sight. She could hear his beeping in the background of her thoughts.

What if the ritual actually succeeded in returning Scourge's emotions? What would the consequences be? Would he be the same Scourge or would he be different? And if he did change, would it be for the better or worse?

There was a possibility that it would inspire a more positive change. If he got his emotions back, then it would enable him to feel pain and suffering. If he did, would that make it easier for him to empathise with those who were suffering? Would he then realise how awful some things he'd done were?

But there was an alternative. What if being able to feel pain would cause him to become loathing and furious? Would he lose control and commit crimes far worse than the slave incident? If he did, would she be able to stop him? With words? Even with force?

And then, there was a part of her that wondered how his feelings towards her would change. As it stood, she didn't think he could actually feel friendship in the regular sense. Instead, it appeared that any for of caring for her well being was merely a logical decision - a decision that somehow benefited him. But if he could feel again, would he be able to feel compassion? Would showing her kindness not have a reason behind it? Would that make the friendship less one sided than it currently was? Would those other feelings - the ones that were far from friendship - be requited? She tried her best to hide them, but they wouldn't go away.

Kahlei bit her lip. Did she want that? Part of her mind said yes. But another part thoroughly agreed with her previous statement to Scourge. It had taken so much time and effort to build this friendship and it certainly wasn't worth sabotaging that for such a fleeting emotion. Despite the fact that she disagreed with some of his actions and beliefs, she had come to find herself relying on him.

She sighed, causing Teeseven to turn around and beep at her in curiosity. "It's nothing," she said to the droid. He beeped again and went back to sifting through the ship's programming.

And it really was nothing. Even if one day he felt the same, acting upon those feelings would wreck their current relationship.

Trying to predict what would happen was pointless. The only way to know what would happen was to just let it happen. Perhaps it would turn out to be a mistake. But refusing to help a friend would be an even bigger mistake.

* * *

Scourge's eyeridge twitched. "Would you like to become scrap metal, droid?"

Kahei groaned, resting her forehead in the palm of her hand. Teeseven had decided to give Scourge a good telling off about 'kidnapping' Kahlei from the crew. She'd tried to explain that this wasn't the case and that it had been her choice, but Teeseven was unable to compute why Kahlei had 'chosen Scourge over her friends'.

At first, Scourge had dismissed Teeseven's questions and the droid had let out a series of high pitched, accusing whirs. Scourge hadn't taken the 'tone' well. And now, Kahlei was sat in the middle of them, round a table in Anchorhead's Cantina, and praying that Doc would soon show up.

And when he finally did, Kahlei didn't think she'd ever been happier to see the Medic. (Then again, there was that time she'd caught a really nasty flu...) He strode in, lifting his fedora hat up to get a better view of the cantina. When he spotted Kahlei, Scourge and Teeseven, he practically skipped towards them.

He stopped in front of Kahlei, tilted the hat and waggled an eyebrow. "Hello there, gorgeous."

Scrap that, she wasn't  _that_  happy to see him. Whatever he'd been doing over the past month had certainly cause him develop more swagger to his walk.

"You took your time."

Doc shrugged at her and pulled out the nearest seat at the table. "Those Zeltron women begged me not to leave. Although it hurts me to hurt beautiful women, it had to be done."

"Uh, right."

He glanced round at the three of them. "Rusk not here?"

"Said he's involved with something important."

Doc nodded and raised a hand to Scourge. "'Sup, Red?"

Scourge gave him a scowl and grunted in response.

"Y'alright, little fella?"

Teeseven beeped happily at Doc.

Doc grinned. "How about I buy you all-" He paused, eyes shifting between Teeseven and Scourge, and then shook his head. He turned so that he was only facing Kahlei. "How about a drink on me, gorgeous?"

"Uh, thanks, but no." Kahlei leaned closer, so that she didn't have to raise her voice. "We've got an angry Sith waiting."

Doc blinked. "Another Sith?!" He pinched the bridge of his nose before giving an accusing look to Scourge. "What's it with you and Sith?" But he stood up and fixed the hat firmly back onto his head. "Never mind, let's just go. Not sure I fancy being crispy fried Doc today."

* * *

Kahlei spent most of the journey to the cave by explaining what exactly was going on to Teeseven and Doc - as well as what had happened whilst they'd been separated.

"Whoah, Scourge," Doc exclaimed, after Kahlei had explained why they were visiting Nox. "You're immortal?"

Scourge didn't bother to look at Doc as he spoke. "I assumed that was obvious. Perhaps you weren't listening?"

Doc frowned, scrunching his face up. "No, I'd remember something as cool as that. Just think of everything I could do if I lived forever! Why in the galaxy would you want to get rid of it?"

"Immortality is not without its price."

But Doc's expression looked as if Scourge had spoken in an alien language. So, Kahlei decided to elaborate. "The price is that he's unable to feel and see colour."

"Huh," Doc said, "No wonder you want to get rid of it."

When they finally arrived, Kahlei was glad to escape from the glaring suns. As usual, the dark cave was only lit by the sunlight from the mouth of the cave and the small candle lights dotted around. Did Nox live here? Or was this simply where Nox chose for her rituals? Kahlei imagined it'd be easier to hide powerful force techniques on Tatooine than Dromund Kaas.

Ashara was perched against a wall, not seeming too interested in whatever Nox was doing. After noticing her arrival, Ashara flashed her a broad smile. The Dashade, however, didn't seem anywhere near as pleased. Nox was sat in the centre of the cave, instructing a Kaleesh on how to paint a particular rune on the floor.

Kahlei watched Nox point to an edge of the pattern. "Xalek, why is that a straight line?" She gestured to a similar, but far neater picture in a battered tome. "It's meant to be curved!"

Xalek darted his from the picture and back to the floor. Kahlei couldn't tell if he was scowling: the bone mask hid much of his face. But he rubbed out the straight line and replaced it with a curved, although wobbly, line.

Nox sighed, shaking her head, before turning her attention to Kahlei and her crew. Her eyes flickered between Scourge and Kahlei, most likely seeing Doc and Teeseven as being unnecessary. "Good. No, this is  _very_ good." Nox shut the tome and with great care, placed it beside her. "Ashara had me worried that you'd changed your minds." Kahlei had been about to say something, but Nox continued. "And you've delved into the Dark Side. How intriguing."

Had Nox noticed that so easily? Kahlei had thought that the experimentation had left her unchanged, and was surprised that it was so obvious. She frowned, thinking back to what one of her very traditional old Jedi Masters used to say: that if a Jedi embraced the darkness, then they would never be able to rid themselves of it. Was that what Ashara believed? Was that why she'd always insisted that she'd never be able to return to the Jedi?

"Why don't you start with explaining what this ritual shall entail, Nox?" Scourge growled.

Nox grinned and turned to Kahlei. "I hope you are still able to draw upon the light, Jedi. It is necessary for this ritual."

"Yeah. And I don't mind, but why me? Why can't it be Ashara?"

"You are far stronger than Ashara." Kahlei noticed Ashara pull a face at Nox's words. "And you won't resist."

"What do you mean 'I won't resist'?"

"Yourself, Scourge and I will all be linked together in an exchange of force energy. It will be excruciating pain for us all." Nox's upper lip twitched, as if restraining from a smirk. "But I trust you still won't mind?"

Kahlei nodded. "Let's start then."

"No," Nox said. "We're not quite ready to start the ritual. There are a few items that I require, but I need your assistance."

"What items?" Scourge asked.

Nox held out her hand for Ashara to pass her a datapad. Reluctantly, the Togruta did so. Nox glanced over the datapad before handing it over to Kahlei and Scourge. "There are three items. I have included a detailed description of each and where you will find them. Ashara will also be accompanying you. Should any problems arise, you know how to contact me."


	25. Chapter 25

"You need ol' Doc to check you over, beautiful?"

Kahlei sighed at the wink. And she sighed even more when Ashara failed to roll her eyes at Doc's comment. "Do you really need to hit on every single woman you see?" Kahlei asked.

"Always worth a shot," Doc said with a shrug. He then turned his attention back to Ashara. "I've always thought Togruta women were beautiful. But you, you're ...unworldly."

"Oh, um, thanks."

Kahlei pinched the bridge of her nose when she noticed that Ashara was blushing. Scourge, on the other hand, appeared rather amused by the conversation. And Teeseven just watched. "Come on," she said, exasperated. "There are way more important things than a discussion like this."

Teeseven beeped his agreement and all of the crew turned their attention to Kahlei. She slid the datapad that Nox had given her into the middle of the table and zoomed in to make the text easier to read.

"First up is a Je'daii meditation stone that is said to be imbued with the power of the light. Hm, it says we need it to amplify the light side's energy in the ritual. And it's on Tython - no wonder Nox couldn't get that one. It was recently recovered from Kaleth's ruins but now it's located in the Jedi Archives." Kahlei frowned at Ashara. "How did Nox get access to this kind of information?"

Ashara shrugged.

Kahlei scrolled further down the page. "Next is the opposite - an artefact of the dark side. It's the a tuk'ata fang that the original Sith used to worship.. Uh, it was some guy called Adas's favourite tuk'ata."

Scourge scowled. " _Some guy?_ King Adas was the first and greatest Sith'ari that has ever existed. He was the epitome of strength. His tale is the first that our young learn and they all aspire to his power."

"So, he was your childhood superhero?" Kahlei asked, not missing the chance to provoke the Sith. The ferocity of Scourge's scowl grew at the mockery. On the other hand, Ashara and Doc repressed laughter. Even Teeseven beeped in a way that almost sounded like a giggle.

Kahlei turned her attention back to the datapad. "Well, if he was such a big bad Sith King like you say, then no wonder they worshipped that fang." She squinted at the text. "It says that the Dreadmasters had hold of it and Calphayus might know its whereabouts. Apparently he was taken into Republic custody." Kahlei scrolled even further down and was glad when she got to the end of the page. "And lastly, we're to go to," Kahlei pulled a face upon remembering Scourge's description of the planet, "Ziost."

Scourge raised an eyeridge, finally losing his scowl. "What for?"

Kahlei continued to read. "Uh, says here that Nox has created an item that will be able to capture the energy residing in the tombs. But isn't Korriban where all the tombs are?"

"Nearly all of them," Scourge corrected. "But there are a few Sith Lords who were buried elsewhere - such as Ziost."

"I don't get why Nox can't go there herself. And apparently we need the energy to get the ritual going," she said.

"And where is this item that will allow us to harness the energy?" Scourge asked.

"Uh," Ashara pulled a face as she dug around in a pocket. Finally, she pulled it out and placed the item on the table. "I've got it." Like the relic Ashara used to contact Nox, this one was triangular and full of pointed edges. Kahlei wondered how the shape hadn't dug into Ashara's skin through her robes. "Where first then?" Ashara asked.

"We may as well just do them in the same order. So, Tython first."

* * *

It was strange to be back on Tython. It was even stranger to be there on an unauthorised visit. Kahlei pulled her hood further across her face, thankful for how deep it was. She had opted for plainer Jedi robes and aimed to get in and out of the Archives without anyone recognising her. As an extra precaution, she had also tried her best to alter her force signature. Although, that had been Scourge's suggestion when she'd declared that she wanted to do this alone and without attracting unwanted attention. He really did think every little detail through.

Walking through the courtyard, Kahlei passed several Jedi that she recognised. As she did, she felt her breath catch in her throat. But she tried to stay calm and kept her gaze firmly fixed straight ahead.

Fortunately, the Archives only had a few Jedi scarcely scattered around and she was able to easily make it to the ancient history section. Luck appeared to be on Kahlei's side as this particular section was completely empty. She stopped in front of the data-terminal. It wasn't specific to this section of the Archives and listed all sections on its main screen. She selected ancient history and then Je'daii from the list of categories that dropped down. The screen then displayed even more categories.

Kahlei frowned, noticing options for two different types of Je'daii artefacts: Bogan and Ashla. Her knowledge of the ancient Je'daii Order was very limited as it was barely mentioned in the Jedi curriculum. The little that she did know consisted of the fact that the Je'daii Order had eventually split in two. One half had followed Ashla and the other Bogan. This conflict had lead to Bogan's defeat and the followers of Ashla had created the Jedi Order that she knew.

The Je'daii artefact mentioned on the datapad had been of the Light Side. Kahlei selected the Ashla Artefacts category. Kahlei scrolled down until she saw "Ashla Meditation Stone". She clicked on the link and memorised the data-disk number listed.

It didn't take too long to locate the data-disk and the relic that went alongside it amongst the stacked boxes on the dusty shelves. Kahlei pulled out the stone from the box. It was perfectly spherical and its surface was completely smooth. Aside from its cut, there was little else that was remarkable about its appearance. Its texture looked like a piece of any ordinary rock. But Kahlei knew it was different: she could feel the energy of the light side pouring out of the rock.

She reached into the box again and this time pulled out the data-disk that accompanied the stone. She slotted the disk into the data-terminal and a detailed article on the stone loaded.

The stone was said to be a chunk of Ashla that the Je'daii used for meditation. Surprisingly, it was used more often by Je'daii who feared they were falling to the dark side. They did this to avoid being exiled to Bogan.

But the article ended there. Curious, Kahlei retrieved the data-disk for "Exiled Je'daii" and replaced the previous with it. This article in particular caught her eye.

The J'edaii sought balance between Ashla and Bogan (Light and Dark) in order to maintain balance in the force upon Tython. When it was not in balance, the planet was devastated by storms and earthquakes. If a Je'daii fell out of balance, then they would be sent to one of the moons to meditate and achieve balance once more.

Upon reading the line " _In the light, there is darkness and in the darkness, a light,"_ Kahlei almost fell out of her seat. That single sentence summed up her observations of the nature of the force. She had seen Sith with light inside them and Jedi with darkness inside them. But she had never seen one without.

And then, Kahlei understood the path that she had to take. Was this what the force had been trying to show her all along?

Barely containing her excitement, she retrieved as many data-disks as she could find on the Je'daii Order. At that moment, Kahlei didn't have time to read all of the articles and teachings. But she was able to upload them all to her datapad.

She'd seen the advantages of the Light Side; she'd seen the advantages of the Dark Side. She knew how difficult it was to control anger, yet how dangerous it was to let it control you. Until now, she'd never imagined that it was possible to neither fully follow the Dark or Light Side but both. And her answer lay right in front of her.

As the files were downloading, another thought occurred to her. The Archives were extensive. What if they contained information on her parents?

Searching the database for her parents was nowhere near as easy as searching for the meditation stone. She noticed the search bar at the top of the page. But what could she type in? Kahlei thought back to the most recent conversation on her parents that she'd had with Scourge. What were the names that he'd mentioned? If she could find out more information on the Sith Lords he'd talked about, then she would be able to determine if her parents had been those people.

Kahlei frowned. Lord Malica? There were no results. Lord Malissa? Again, no results. Kahlei tried several variations until a result finally came up. Lord Malyssa.

The data-disk that contained the article was located in the "Important Individuals" section. Kahlei peeped around the open door that lead into that section. Unlike the "Ancient History" section, this one had another Jedi studying at the data-terminals. And she knew this Jedi. He was a Jedi Knight who had been in several of her classes as a padawan. They hadn't been particularly close, but there was no doubt that he'd recognise her if he saw her face. Kahlei pulled her hood down so far that she thought she heard a seam tear. It was a massive risk. But it was one that she had to take.

Careful not to draw attention to herself, Kahlei walked as casually as she could to the 1000-2000 shelf unit. Thankfully, the Jedi didn't even look up as she retrieved the 1371 box and slotted its data-disk into the terminal.

She didn't need to scroll down far to see the faces of her mother and father staring back at her. Kahlei clasped her head in her hands, trying her best to control her emotions. If she didn't, the Jedi would have sensed something peculiar and come over to investigate her.

But it was nearly impossible to rid herself of the emotions that were forming. Wrath had been telling the truth. The Order had lied to her. Kahlei tried to replace her anger with curiosity. Why had the Order lied to her? Why had her parents lied to her?

Fortunately, the article was highly detailed. It contained all the answers to the questions that she had on her parents.

It was in 3668 BBY that her parents first contacted the Jedi Order. They'd told the Order had they had information that would swing the War in the Republic's favour. When the Jedi questioned their motives, they simply said that they sought a quiet life and to be able to raise a child in an environment other than the backstabbing and politics of Sith society.

Her parents'd had information on the Dread Masters whereabouts and this had allowed Master Kaedan and his Special Forces Team to capture the Dread Masters. They had also assisted the Republic in destroying a few commanding Sith - one of which Kahlei guessed had been Wrath's father.

Four years after the capture of the Dread Masters, her parents had decided to retire from the war. Although they had allied with the Jedi, they refused to become Jedi.

Kahlei frowned at the following line. The force severance hadn't been a punishment by the Order. In fact, her parents had begged the Order to do it so that they could live a normal life - a life away from both the Jedi and the Sith.

At a young age, Kahlei had discovered that she was force sensitive and her parents had sent her away to the Order. Kahlei guessed that they'd decided that if she had to go to one, then it'd be better to go to the Jedi rather than the Sith. But she wondered why they hadn't tried to hide her. Why hadn't they told her that they'd been Sith?

Perhaps they'd feared that knowing that they'd been Sith would have encouraged her to have become Sith? Kahlei couldn't think of any other reason. And why had the Order also lied to her? Because her parents had requested it?

At the very bottom of the page there was a small paragraph on their death. The report stated that it had been a Sith who had killed them. And Kahlei didn't doubt that it had been the same Wrath that she'd killed. She couldn't help the satisfaction of knowing that she'd slain her parents' murderer.

Kahlei was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps. And it took her several moments to process the, "Kahlei," that came from behind her.

She slowly turned round. But when she saw his face, she froze.


	26. Chapter 26

"Kahlei?"

Kahlei swallowed and averted her gaze from his face. Not that avoiding eye contact helped to salvage the predicament. She had to get out of here. And fast. Maybe he didn't know that she was no longer part of the Order?

When she finally found the courage to look back up, she noticed him frowning. "There are rumours that you've fallen to the Dark Side. Are they true?" He asked.

She bit her lip and then regretted not putting on a good Sabacc face. Then again, hers was terrible. Deciding to come to this section of the Archives had been a mistake. No, a mistake was defined as being accidental. This had been no accident. She'd known how great the risk had been as soon as she'd seen him huddled over the data-terminal.

After she failed to respond, he gaped at her. She felt him reaching out through the force and tried to shield herself. However, she'd felt it too late. "But... how?" He shook his head. "As a padawan, you were the Order's rising star. Then you saved Tython. Then you saved the galaxy." He shook his head, again. This time the frustration behind the action was clearer. "How could you of all Jedi fall?"

"It's not like that, Karn," Kahlei said, now up on her feet. "I haven't fallen. I'm just thinking for myself."

"No. I can sense the darkne-"

"Everyone has darkness inside them! It's nature and it's wrong to fear it."

"And it's right to embrace it?" Karn scoffed. "Remember when you first joined the class? You said it was your destiny to become a Jedi." He sighed. "Why've you done this?"

"I said that because I believed it was my destiny to follow in my parents' footsteps. But I was wrong. It never was my destiny."

He took a step closer. "I admired you. I envied you. You were strong. You were the perfect Jedi. ...I don't understand why  _you_ fell."

"'Perfect' Jedi? Don't you remember Master Tainer shouting at me because I told him that I wanted to exterminate the Sith? Because I wanted vengeance?"

"Every padawan goes through an emotional outburst," he said. "We have to. It is how we learn right from wrong."

"Vengeance isn't wrong. What is wrong about preventing the offender from offending again? From preventing them from hurting people again?"

"And what of forgiving the offender? Everyone can be forgiven - including yourself."

"Forgiving the offender doesn't guarantee stopping him." Kahlei paused and raised her head high to power her words. "I don't need forgiveness because I've done nothing wrong."

"You've delved in the Dark Side. I can feel its effects on you."

Kahlei moved to the side to walk past him. But he blocked her path. She raised her eyebrows.

"I can't let you leave Tython. You're powerful, Kahlei. Maybe  _now_  you have your sanity. But if you continue down this path, soon you won't. We can help you. You can still turn back."

Kahlei placed her datapad into an inside pocket. "I won't return to being the Council's puppet."

She could see him biting the inside of his cheek. "You haven't got a choice," he finally said. "We will save you. Surrender now. Please. I don't want to resort to violence."

Kahlei narrowed her eyes. "If you don't move out of my way, then you won't have a choice."

For a moment, he stared at her and then sighed. "I'm sorry."

He raised his hand and her feet were held in place by an invisible grip. The technique reminded her of a force choke. But she didn't have time to waste by analysing his moves.

Kahlei forced herself out of the constraints and dived for the door. But he stood in the way. She winced. This was certainly not how she had wanted this to turn out, but it was unavoidable. Turning herself over to the Council was an absurd thought. Kahlei lit a lightsaber. With equal reluctance, he did the same.

Circling round him, Kahlei could see the hesitation in his movements. She didn't want to do this, either. Perhaps she would be able to disarm him without causing any serious injuries?

Kahlei leapt at him, but he pushed her lightsaber aside. With her lightsaber arm pinned, he aimed for her midsection with a force enhanced fist. But Kahlei caught his wrist and tried to use the contact to twist his arm round. He swung his lightsaber back towards her. Letting go of his wrist, she jumped back.

Out of their class, he hadn't been the weakest but nor had he been the strongest. She hadn't expected him to be this much of a challenge. Perhaps his martial skill had taken longer to blossom? Kahlei narrowed her eyes. The longer she spent here, the longer she risked another Jedi witnessing the fight. She needed to deal with him as quickly as she could.

His brow furrowed as she raised her lightsaber above her head, taking a Juyo stance. Not giving him much time to react, again Kahlei charged. But this time, she drew upon her fear in every attack. She quickened the pace of the jabbing motions of her lightsaber. He managed to keep up, although barely. If she went even faster, he'd be unable to block.

But she didn't get chance to launch the plan. Instead, she felt the scorching heat of his lightsabers slice through her sleeve and into her skin. Her lightsaber rolled out of her hands. Seizing the opening, he charged towards. Kahlei ignited her second lightsaber with her offhand and parried the slash, gritting her teeth at the searing pain. For a brief second, she came face to face with him, their lightsabers interlocked. She hissed.

How was this happening? She had always been the stronger one! So much stronger that he shouldn't have posed a challenge at all - never mind have been able to wound her.

Using the hand of the injured arm, Kahlei pushed him back into the book shelves with the force. Her opponent was momentarily dazed and Kahlei dived towards him, lightsaber poised to strike. But he leapt back up in time to block.

How? It should have been over after the first few moves. How had no Jedi yet noticed the fight? It was only a matter of time before one did. No, this had to end. She had to show him she was superior.

Kahlei feigned left and he took the bait. Whilst he moved to block the lightsaber that wasn't there, she spun round him and swung at his back. It hit. He shrieked and Kahlei swore. No doubt another Jedi would come to his rescue after hearing that. She had to leave.

She started towards the exit. But somehow, he'd regained himself and pushed her off her feet with the force. Kahlei jumped back up as he launched himself at her.

How was he still fighting? Through sheer determination? She could see the pain behind every movement. He wasn't going to last much longer.

He struck her again and Kahlei snarled, becoming more and more furious at each exchange of blows. Anger replacing sense, she kicked out at his feet. He fell. Kahlei thrust her lightsaber towards him and he tried to roll away. But it was too late. The attack got him straight in the chest.

And then, he lay still. Dead at her feet.

The only two sounds in the room were the beeping of the terminals and her own deep breathing. As the adrenaline faded away, the sting of her wounds grew more and more intense until they were unbearable. When her fury had dispersed, Kahlei collapsed to her knees.

No! It wasn't meant to have turned out like this. Tears threatened and her uneven breathing turned to wheezing. She'd killed him. Murdered him. Her bottom lip quivered.

She was a murderer.

Why had it come to this? Because he'd been caught up in her fury? No. She couldn't blame this on the Dark Side. Her eyes trailed down the corpse, lingering over each wound she'd inflicted. By  _her_  hands.

She didn't know for how long she'd sat there. Nor did her mind register what her ears were hearing: the clamour of footsteps, the shouting of her name. Hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. She didn't resist. She didn't realise what was happening. Her eyes only broke away from the corpse when she was out of the room.

She thought she'd vomit. The image of her crime was still imprinted on her retina. It was all she could see in front of her. The mysterious hands behind her urged her forwards, out of the Archives. It was only when the cold breeze hit her that she gasped, realising that her fears had come to reality.

Kahlei shrieked. Then, she screamed louder. She tried to writhe away from the grasp. To break free. But it wasn't one pair of hands that held her in place: it was several. She tried to throw them off, but they pushed her forwards.

Every Jedi walking through the courtyard stopped to stare at the display. They probably thought she looked pathetic. And she was pathetic for getting caught. Kahlei kicked out at one of her captors, but he moved out of the way. The rest of them held her place.

What would Scourge have said if he'd seen this? Perhaps he'd have laughed at her. Or perhaps he'd have told her it was her own fault for being weak: for giving into the darkness and then regretting it. He'd have mocked her for her own powerlessness. And he'd have had every right to.

No. She had to escape. The Council would turn her back into their puppet. They'd manipulate her and her mind would no longer be her own. Kahlei glanced around. Half a dozen more Jedi had joined her original captors in leading her to their detention block.

She couldn't trust the Dark Side. It encouraged her to do terrible things. If she hadn't relied on it, she'd have defeated Karn and left Tython with ease. But now, now she was trapped.

They held her arms still and fitted her with shackles. Kahlei tried to break them open, but it was no use. The metal was dissipating her energy. It was likely cortosis. She whirled around to the cell's entrance, but the durasteel bars flew towards her. The door was a frame to watch the outside world from.

Her captors slowly dispersed. Eventually, only one remained. His glowing red eyes gazed at her, holding nothing but disappointment. And guilt?

Praven shook his head, further demonstrating his disappointment in her. He took a step further, and another, until he was close enough to grasp the metal bars. Kahlei also stepped forwards, only the bars separating them.

" _He_ did this," Praven said. There was no question as to who 'he' was.

Kahlei glowered. " _He_ did nothing. Do you honestly believe that I can't see the truth for myself? That I can't see how weak the Light is? That I can't see how the Council brainwashes us?"

Praven lifted one hand off the door to clutch his forehead. "What I can't believe is how far gone you are, Kahlei."

"I'm not  _far gone_." Her voice was akin to a hiss. "I don't walk the Dark Side, but I don't walk the Light Side, either."

"You killed one of your fellows. How is that not far gone?" Praven asked.

Kahlei stepped away from him, until the back of her knees hit the edge of the small bunk in the corner of the cell. "No. No! That was an accident. Just an accident!" The repetition was an attempt to convince herself as much as Praven.

"Kahlei, I was investigating a matter with security when it happened. I saw everything through the cameras. He tried to help you and you killed him. It was no accident."

Her lip trembled and she blinked back the tears that tried to reappear. "No. He wanted to stop me. To hand me over to the Council."

"He only wanted to stop you to save you. He wanted to redeem you."

"I don't need redeeming! Is that why you came to see me? Because you thought you could?"

"I came here to see this with my own eyes," Praven said.

"You mean you came here to laugh at me? To taunt me for my weakness?"

"No. I came here to witness the madness that has taken control of you."

"It doesn't control me. I control it!"

"Nobody can control the Dark Side, Kahlei." His voice was calm, as if to soothe her. She scowled. Praven watched her facial expressions and sighed. "I can't help but feel responsible for this. I told you to choose your own path, but I didn't mean this. I never thought this would happen to you."

Her scowl deepened and she sat on the bunk, body turned away from him. Praven remained for a few minutes before finally leaving. She dug her nails into her palms, movement still restricted by the shackles.

No matter how much she tried to oppose it, Praven's words continued to replay in her mind. Had she really been naïve in thinking that she'd be able to control the darkness? It was power but it was chaos. When you embraced it, you became its tool - its weapon to carve destruction.

Kahlei drew her knees closer to her chest. Each time she drew upon darkness, the consequences grew more severe. What would happen the next time that she embraced it? What if she hurt Ashara, Doc, Rusk, Teeseven or Scourge? Well, she probably wouldn't be able to hurt Scourge. But there was little relief in that thought. To fully draw upon the darkness again would be reckless. Trying to temper it with the light hadn't worked. She needed to be completely balanced - like she'd seen in the Je'daii teachings. What was truly a relief was the feeling of her datapad digging into her leg.

But if the Council used their mind tricks on her, there'd be no chance to study the Je'daii teachings. There had to be some way to get out of the cell. Kahlei glanced round. It was small but clean. The only exit was the barred doors. She tried to smash open the door with the force, but she only scratched the metal. And the attempt left her feeling even weaker. Was there really no way to get out?


	27. Chapter 27

"You know, I'm not just good lookin'."

Scourge rolled his eyes at the voice coming from the Med Bay across the narrow corridor. He didn't need to see Doc's face to know the ridiculous expressions he'd have been pulling.

"I got brains, too, Beautiful. One time, I cured a Hutt of an incurable disease," the voice continued.

"Wow. Really?"

Scourge winced at the high-pitched voice. Although, it was preferable to the giggles that had previously reached notes he'd thought to have been unattainable.

"But some bloody Houk killed him before I could prove he'd been cured."

Perhaps that had been his favourite part of Doc and Ashara's conversation. Several comments later, all he could hear was the Togruta's ear-piercing laughter. Scourge clasped his head in his palms. It had been like this since the Jedi had left. He had found that the intercom room muffled their conversations but unfortunately, that room hadn't come with solitude. The droid had seen him sat at the table and had taken it upon itself to irritate him with its accusations once again.

He'd decided that solitude was more desirable than quiet and had returned to his room: the Cargo Hold Bay. Perhaps he ought to have been glad that the idiot wasn't playing music.

Eventually the talking stopped and Scourge sighed in relief. Those two were his least favourite people on the ship and listening to a conversation between them was even worse than listening to them singularly. Then again, there were no other people on the ship. Maybe that should have been that he preferred the two droids, Rusk and Kahlei to those two.

But his relief was short-lived for the door soon swung open. The Togruta. Scourge scowled, hoping that the gesture would cause her to shut it as quickly as she'd opened it. Unfortunately, she didn't.

"That door was shut for a reason, whelp."

The Togruta tilted her head, studying him in a way he wasn't too fond of. "You're even grumpier than normal. Hmm, you've been like this since Kahlei left." The expression she'd pulled whilst studying him was nothing compared to the grand smirk she now had painted across her face. And as usual, Scourge found himself wishing that he could feel anger. "You're worried about her."

No, it wasn't anger he wished for. It was blind fury. "Do you dare mock me? I am unable to feel such worthless emotions. If I could, the only cause for concern would be whether she is successful in her mission or not."

"Nope. Not buying it."

And then, the Togruta made a bold move. She sat cross-legged opposite him, joining him on his bunk. The Togruta was fortunate that he was unable to feel hatred. For if he had, she would have been nothing but sludge on the floor.

"There's definitely something bothering you," she continued.

The ferocity of his next scowl made his initial seem tame. But still, that did not deter the Togruta. She wasn't going to go away unless he dealt with her. "I am merely surprised that it has taken her over a day to retrieve this artefact."

The Togruta grinned. "So, you  _are_ worried about her."

"No." Scourge pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you deaf or simply stupid? I just told you that I cannot feel worry."

"But you would if you could."

Scourge didn't dignify the insult with a response. Instead, he pondered the situation.

An entire day to stroll to the Jedi Archives, take a stone and return? It was ridiculous. Maybe the stone had turned out to be elsewhere and Kahlei had gone to find it? But if the artefact hadn't been there, then surely Kahlei would have holo-called one of them about it? No, something had gone wrong.

Scourge stood up, grabbed his lightsaber and headed for the door.

"Um, where are you going?" The Togruta asked.

"To find her."

"Now look who's the stupid the one."

Scourge turned round to growl at her.

"You think the Order did something, right?"

Scourge nodded, eyes narrowed.

"So, um, you do realise that if something bad happened to her then they'll be after you?"

He stared at the Togruta. As much as he hated admitting it, she had a point.

"Wow. Guess three hundred years didn't make you smarter."

No, if he'd have been angry then she would have been a spec of dust rather than sludge. "And what magnificent plan do you propose, insect?"

"Well,  _I_  could go and see what's up. The Order have no idea I even know Kahlei. They won't suspect I'm up to anything."

It certainly wasn't magnificent, but her going instead would be far more effective. "Very well." Scourge returned to his previous position on the bunk. He furrowed his eyeridges into a sharp gaze. "But if something happens to you, I will not save you."

The Togruta grinned. "Sure, sure." The grin widened. "But you'd save Kahlei, right?"

"Unlike you, she is actually useful." Scourge waved a hand, dismissively. "Leave."

* * *

It had been years since Ashara had last been on Tython but she still remembered every nook and cranny. Apart from unfamiliar faces, it hadn't changed either. Not one passing Jedi lingered over her despite the fact that she hadn't opted for disguising herself. Then again, who'd have remembered a Togruta padawan from years ago?

Returning to Tython was refreshing. The Light Side was strong here and was a welcome change to the energy that Nox exuded. A few turns later, Ashara was inside the archives. Although she doubted Kahlei would still be in the Archives, she'd decided to go there first to see if anything there hinted at her whereabouts. But she wasn't too hopeful.

Two Masters spun round a corner. One voice was of an old teacher of hers. Praying that hadn't already noticed her, Ashara dived for a nearby empty room. But as she did so, she realised how valuable the conversation they were having was. Ashara pressed an ear to the -thankfully - hollow door.

"Did you hear about the Hero of Tython?" She heard her ex-teacher ask the other Master.

Hero of Tython? Wasn't that Kahlei? Ashara leant even closer to the door, fairly sure her ear would quite literally be glued to it.

"Master Kahlei? Yes, I have heard that she's fallen to the Dark Side." The Master tutted. "Such a waste."

"No," her teacher said. "Not that. I'm surprised you haven't heard about what happened here earlier today. It's the topic of discussion throughout the entire Order."

He sighed. "I dread to think."

The voices weren't getting louder or any quieter. Ashara guessed that they'd stopped.

"She murdered one of our Knights - Karn."

Kahlei had killed somebody?

They were both silent for a moment before the other Master continued. "I worry for our young more with the passing of each day. Volatile Jedi are getting more and more common! This is our failure as much as hers."

"The Grand Master feels responsible. Apparently she's determined to redeem Kahlei."

"No, I remember teaching Kahlei. Karn was one of her classmates. She's too far gone for redemption."

"Maybe not if the Grand Master gets the best Jedi for the job."

"You mean Barsen'thor? I doubt it. Last I heard, she was busy with one of those 'Dread Masters'."

"Dread Masters? I thought we had put an end to their madness?"

"One of them turned himself over to the Republic. Barsen'thor's been guiding him along the path of redemption."

"Maybe the Council will keep hold of Master Kahlei until Barsen'thor returns."

The voices began to drift off.

"I hope it's in a secure location. Or I won't be able to sleep tonight, worrying about our young..."

Ashara staggered away from the door, head whirring with all of the information she'd just gained.

The Council had captured Kahlei and were holding her captive? And what had they said about this Barsen'thor? That she'd been with a Dread Master? Hadn't the Dread Masters been mentioned on Nox's datapad?

She peeped her out of the door, glanced either way and scampered off back down the way she'd come. Surely there was a securer location somewhere for her to contact Scourge? Passing groups of Jedi, Ashara could hear similar conversations to the one she'd just overheard.

Ashara eventually decided on settling down by a tree just outside the Temple, away from prying eyes. She dialled Scourge's frequency into her comm.

And as always, the Sith looked moody. Why did Kahlei even keep him around? "You had better not be requesting that I rescue you, whelp."

Yeah, charming as ever. Although, he didn't look as intimidating as a miniature figure on the holocomm. But she didn't have time to reprimand him for his hostility: there were things far more urgent to discuss. "The Jedi captured Kahlei! But there's good news. I think I have a lead on the next artefact!"

Scourge narrowed his eyes. "Do you know where she is?"

"Um, I guess the main detention block. But when I walked past, there were guards around!"

The Sith ran his fingers along the bead on his face-tendril. Ashara gazed at the holo, hoping he'd have a plan. "Then we will need to lure them away."

"Well, duh."

Scourge didn't look up to scowl at her comment. Instead, he remained lost in thought. "We need some way of checking whether Kahlei is there. It would be reckless to expose ourselves if she is not."

Maybe that was why Kahlei kept him around. Although his plans weren't particularly inventive, he always seemed to know where to start.

"I know! I heard people talking about a legendary healer called Barsen'thor. What if I tell them that Barsen'thor wants to speak to Kahlei on holo?"

"I doubt they'd fall for such an obvious trick."

"No," Ashara said. "Those Jedi were convinced this Barsen'thor would be coming to redeem Kahlei."

"Hmm, very well. We will try that first. Do not mess this up, whelp."

Ashara saluted him. "And what if she is there and they let me speak to her?"

"Then you tell them that Barsen'thor wishes to speak to Kahlei in private."

"And then?"

"Holo me and I shall deal with it." And with that, Scourge cut off the holocall. Ashara climbed to her feet and made her way to the detention block.

The detention block was on the opposite side of the courtyard to the Jedi Archives. There were a few of the guards were Jedi but most were patrol droids. Ashara chose to approach the Jedi who was weakest in the Force.

"Master Guard, sir?" she said, with her very best bow.

The man turned towards her. From his robes to his hair to his face, he looked boring. There was nothing remarkable about him - save for his plainness.

"My master is a long, long way away but she really wanted to speak to Master Kahlei on holo." She hoped her best naïve padawan face would work. According to Scourge it was her usual, irritating one.

The Jedi Guard shook his head. "Master Shan requested I take extra precautions with this one."

"But Master Shan wants my master to heal Kahlei!"

His gaze had been drifting away, but at her words it snapped to her. "Who is your master, padawan?"

"Master Barsen'thor."

His eyes widened. " _The_  Barsen'thor?"

Ashara bobbed her head up and down, hoping she looked enthusiastic enough. "She wants to speak to her before she arrives on Tython."

"I'm sorry, padawan. Jedi Knight Praven already took Kahlei away for healing."

"Under whose orders?"

"Master Shan's."

"But Master Shan said she wanted my master to heal her!"

The Guard scratched his chin. "Despite his background, Praven has proven his loyalty to the Light. Why would he be lying?"

His eyes bored into her. She needed to come up with a reason. And quick. "Hmm.. Master Kahlei was the one who redeemed Praven. They do go way back..."

The Guard narrowed his eyes, obviously contemplating her words. "That is true. But from their conversation, it sounded as though he had changed her mind. Maybe Master Shan requested for him to encourage her to seek the path of redemption before Master Barsen'thor arrives?"

"Then my master would definitely like to speak to them both! Do you know where he took her?"

* * *

"You changed my life, Kahlei. I owe you everything and that is why I'm helping you."

Kahlei leaned back into the grass, remembering the last time she'd been at this waterfall. She'd been sat here with Praven then, too. Had it been at that moment that the Force had sealed her fate?

"I can control myself."

Praven sighed. "We've already been over this. Or have you simply changed your mind about redemption?"

"No." Kahlei hadn't changed her mind. But he hadn't made her change it in the first place.

She'd managed to convince him that she'd decided to turn back to the light and feared facing the Council. Just like she'd hoped, he'd taken her to the meditation spot that Master Orgus used to take her to. Now the only two things in between her and freedom were the cortosis handcuffs and Praven.

"I'm surprised Master Shan hasn't come to see me herself."

"She's busy with the war."

"So, she sent you instead?"

"No," he said, "She told me to talk to you. But I would have regardless of my orders."

She needed a way to get him to remove her handcuffs. Upon leaving the detention block, Praven had asked for the key "just in case". She'd been surprised to see the guard handing it over so easily, but only until she realised that Praven knew the guard very well.

"If you wanted to come here for meditation then it's kind of hard for me to do it with this on." She waved her bound hands in the air.

"You must think I'm stupid, Kahlei. If I removed your restraints, you would do the same to me as you did to Karn."

Kahlei squeezed her eyes shut. It was hard enough to forget about it without him reminding her. "It was an accident."

"An accident? You willingly took his life!"

"No, you don't understand, Praven."

"You're wrong. I understand more than anyone else ever could. I understand what it's like to be consumed by the Dark Side and to have your intentions warped by its own. For me, the day I was born was the day that I was destined to become Sith and to become part of the Dark Side. But you? You  _chose_  the Dark Side."

"I didn't have a choice! The Light Side failed me. It's too weak to save the people I care about."

"But if you continue with this then you won't want to save the people you care about."

Kahlei gazed down, picking at the grass in front of her. She already knew that. She'd felt it cloud her mind, twisting it until the only conscious thought was to destroy. The Light Side wasn't what she wanted, nor was the Dark Side. That was why she hoped the Je'daii teachings she'd downloaded would be the solution.

She frowned, studying his face. "You knew I didn't seek redemption, didn't you?"

Praven nodded.

"Then why take me here?"

"Well, a conversation across bars isn't pleasant, is it?"


	28. Chapter 28

Scourge narrowed his eyes, waiting for the lone padawan to move out of his path. He was thankful for the shadows that assisted in concealing his presence from all senses. If it came to it, Scourge would have had no qualms over killing a Jedi. He'd killed plenty of Jedi - and plenty more of his own kind. But he was in his enemy's lair. Even for him, it would have been foolish to blaze in, lightsaber at the ready. He suspected that the Jedi had done just that; she'd never been one for subtlety.

The intensity of Tython's energy disgusted him. He was unsure whether it was the planet's own energy, or the energy of so many the Jedi gathered in one spot. Regardless, he wanted to find Kahlei and leave this place as quickly as he could.

His datapad began to beep. It seemed that he was approaching the co-ordinates that Ashara had retrieved from the Guard. He was also thankful that the Togruta's information had been correct - of course not thankful to the Togruta herself. Sensing not one but two auras, he slowed his pace. One aura was Kahlei's. But the other? He frowned. It wasn't a stranger's, nor was it of someone he knew well.

Scourge crept further into the foliage that assisted his Force camouflage. A branch obstructed his view and he lifted it up, careful to make the action as subtle as a light breeze. Two figures were sat beside a waterfall, their datapads lighting the area. The smaller one was undoubtedly Kahlei. The larger was the one had a familiar but unrecognisable aura. He stepped forward and squinted, trying to make out the figure's face.

Praven.

Scourge wrinkled his nose. Praven had been a poor excuse for a Sith. Instead of being guiding by the Sith Code, he'd been guided by his own sense of honour and justice. It was no surprise to Scourge that he had taken to the Jedi ways so well. He was soft. And soft meant weak.

Despite Praven being weak, Scourge refused to charge in without first comprehending the situation. That was the foolish mistake of an acolyte. And Scourge's time as an acolyte had ended hundreds of years ago. Besides, even then he had been far from foolish. No, now wasn't the time to begin acting with stupidity.

Crouching, Scourge took yet another step forward. From the shackles around the Jedi's wrists, Scourge supposed Praven was holding her captive. But the shackles looked flimsy. Surely the Jedi would have been able to break them open? Or perhaps they were made from cortosis? Or perhaps the Council had drugged her, prohibiting her use of the Force? Either way, he would have to bear that in mind whilst engaging Praven. Although he doubted it, it was possible that Praven would hold a lightsaber to Kahlei's neck, preventing Scourge from finishing him off. Without the Force, she was vulnerable.

Scourge rolled his eyes at himself. Why did he care about the Jedi being vulnerable? No, he didn't care. He was incapable of feeling care or worry. And he was Sith. But still, that did little to quell his concerns. If he had been capable of feeling such emotions, would their mutually beneficial alliance have turned into friendship? He hoped not. He didn't need friends, nor did he wish for them. No, they were weaknesses that once exposed, could easily be taken advantage of. Like he had told the Togruta, his biggest concern was the relic he hoped Kahlei had. But the Togruta's objections to that bubbled in his mind.

What was he doing? This inner debate was wasting precious time. Time that could have been better spent by preparing for the ritual. The ritual that he doubted would work. There was only a small chance it would succeed. Then again, if no attempt was made then there was no chance at all.

Scourge turned his thoughts back to the scene before him. Confronting Praven would require caution. A straight, fair fight was a guaranteed victory for Scourge. But there was no guarantee that it would be a fair fight.

Creeping closer, Scourge could make out most of their conversation.

"You don't get it, Praven." Kahlei's sigh was loud enough for Scourge to hear. "You don't know what happened to Kira, do you?"

"No, what happened?" came the soft reply.

The smaller silhouette's head bowed. "She died to save me. Wrath killed her."

"I'm sorry, Kahlei. I know how much Kira meant to you. But you cannot blame yourself."

Kahlei shook her head. "I don't blame myself. It was Wrath who killed her and Wrath paid for it. But if I'd have been stronger, then it wouldn't have happened. If the Council had helped me, then it wouldn't have happened. And that's why the Light failed me, Praven."

Now metres away from them, Scourge was able to hear Praven draw in a sharp breath. "Although I understand why you have chosen this path, I still don't agree with it." He paused. "But I'm glad we could finally discuss this without shouting at each other."

"Why don't you agree with it?"

Scourge continued to stalk forwards, hoping to catch Praven off-guard. Perhaps he would be able to end this before Praven could even turn round.

"Like I told you, Kahlei, the Dark Side will warp your good intentions into wicked ones. You cannot trust it. You cannot-" Mid-sentence, Praven cut himself off. He whirled round and stared directly at the spot that Scourge was standing in. "...You. I know you're there, Scourge. You can't hide from me."

Scourge raised an eyeridge. Praven had recognised his aura that easily? Or perhaps the curse the Emperor had placed on him made his aura unusual? No, what surprised Scourge the most was how Praven had managed to sense him. He'd underestimated him. But that was not a mistake he would repeat.

Scourge released the dark energy around him, now visible to plain sight. "I see. But you will be disappointed if you seek my applause for not falling for such an obvious trick."

"I don't seek anything from you." Praven's hand wavered over the hilt of his lightsaber, ready for Scourge to make the first move.

Scourge turned his eyes to Kahlei. She was still sat down, shackled hands in her lap. Her lips were pressed together, as if she was refraining from saying something. That something was likely objections to what he was doing. He was pleased to see that she had the sense to wait until after he'd dealt with Praven.

"You corrupted her mind, Scourge," Praven said.

"One; he didn't. Two; I'm capable of making my own decisions."

Praven ignored her.

Scourge's gaze flickered back to Praven. "I hardly have. Is it that difficult for you to believe that your idol fell of her own accord? That she willingly sought out the knowledge that the Jedi kept her restricted from?"

"You know, it  _would_  be nice if the two of you didn't talk about me as if I'm not here."

Neither Scourge nor Praven tore their eyes from each other.

"You may deny it but I know you lead her down this path."

Scourge pinched the bridge of his nose. Obviously Praven hadn't got any wiser as a Jedi. Not that he'd expected him to, of course. "I suggest you hand her over."

But again, Praven demonstrated his stupidity. "I won't let you take her."

Scourge ignited his lightsaber. "Very well."

"Don't, Scourge!" The Jedi had a pained expression drawn across her face. But Scourge only looked at her for a moment. Praven was his sole focus.

In the brief time that Scourge had been distracted by Kahlei, Praven had lit his lightsaber. "It is not too late for even you to be redeemed."

Scourge wrinkled his nose. "Save it for someone who cares."

"Then you leave me no choice but to-"

Scourge leapt towards Praven, cutting his words off. Praven parried. Scourge kicked at his shin, but Praven sidestepped and swung at Scourge's back. Scourge blocked and pushed out. Praven stumbled back. Seizing the opportunity, Scourge slashed. But Praven just managed to block.

Praven's upper lip twitched and his previously steady aura now trembled. Scourge smirked. Praven was using more energy up by fighting himself rather than Scourge. Although Praven was physically strong enough to block his attacks, he doubted that he'd move fast enough against a form like Juyo.

Juyo was only Juyo when the user was fuelled by their anger and bloodlust. Being incapable of experiencing such emotions, Juyo was the most difficult form for Scourge to utilise. To wield it effectively, he had to draw on his opponent's emotions rather than his own. Fortunately, that was a talent of his.

Lightsabers still interlocked, Scourge kicked Praven away from him. Using the Force to enhance his speed, Scourge charged. Praven parried. Scourge dashed forwards, attempting to land a strike on Praven's back. But that was also blocked. Although Praven managed to keep up, he could do nothing else but defend.

Praven's face was calm, but Scourge could sense his growing frustration - a frustration that wasn't too far from anger. Scourge drew upon the emotion, allowing it to fuel his power in the Dark Side.

Scourge raised his hand and pushed Praven back. He landed on his back and the momentum caused a small item to fly out of his pocket. It landed in the grass near to Kahlei, who had been fighting her hand cuffs. She stopped and gazed at it. Her eyes lit up. Kahlei crawled towards it and then with, with it in her hands, continued to fiddle with the hand cuffs. Scourge supposed it was a key. He turned back to Praven, who was still dazed.

Again, Scourge raised his hand. But this time, he curled his fingers. Praven clutched his neck, spluttering. Scourge felt fear seeping out and let it fill him. Praven closed his eyes and fought Scourge's hold over him. Finally, Praven deflected the Force choke with the Light. But fighting against Scourge's power had required a lot of energy, and Praven looked weary.

Scourge narrowed his eyes. Like he'd hoped, this had been a straight up fight. But he was surprised that Praven hadn't tried any tricks. Scourge tightened his grip on his lightsaber's hilt. It was time to finish this.

He leapt towards Praven, who wasn't even looking up. Scourge swung his lightsaber down at Praven's head.

But halfway through the action, he froze. Kahlei had forced herself between him and Praven. Her arms were outstretched, - handcuffs now off - shielding the pureblood behind her. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Scourge!" It was more of a wail than a shout. His lightsaber remained in mid-air.

"Please, Scourge. Please don't kill him!"

Scourge sneered at the Jedi. "Why not?"

"B-because."

"Because of what?" His upper lip curled. "Mercy? Compassion?"

"Please, Scourge!"

"I do not see the worth in those 'values'. There is only one worthy value and that is strength. But he is weak. What value does weakness have?"

Her bottom lip quivered. For a few moments, her head hung low and she gazed at the grass. Finally, she brought her head back up, a new determination set on her face. "If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me."

"...K-Kahlei," Praven spluttered from behind her.

Scourge returned his attention to Kahlei. Her eyes held no indication of her swaying from her words. He furrowed his eyeridges. Why did she insist on saving someone as pathetic as Praven? Why did she go as far as throwing her own life away for another? He had known that he hadn't culled this undesirable trait, but he'd believed that he'd reduced it. Yet it appeared that she had made no progress at all. Scourge sighed. This trait made her weak.

He deactivated his lightsaber. Of course he couldn't kill Kahlei. Without her, his life had little purpose. And her life served him better than Praven's death.

His train of thought was cut off when he realised that the Jedi had flung her arms round him. Her actions never ceased to astound him.

"Thank you." She looked up and gave him a weak smile. "See? Mercy isn't that bad, is it?"

"This is not an act of mercy, Jedi."

"An act of logic?"

Although she made ridiculous assumptions, at least she was quick to rethink them. "Yes."

Through narrowed eyes, Scourge watched her help Praven to his feet.

"Wait here, Praven. We'll get you medical attent-"

Scourge folded his arms. "And where are you going to get that? From the Jedi? I didn't rescue you just for you to be recaptured."

"No, we have our own medic - Doc."

* * *

It had been a few hours since Scourge had returned to the ship. Kahlei sat huddled, knees to her chest and hands cradling her personal holocomm. Scourge stood leant against the door frame, watching the holocall.

"Hey," the miniature Doc said, "I'm the best medic in the entire galaxy. 'Course he's gonna live."

"I know, but-"

"Honestly, he's going to be okay."

Kahlei smiled but Scourge could tell it was forced. "Thanks, Doc."

"Anytime." And with that, Doc's hologram fizzled out.

Kahlei turned her gaze to Scourge. He met hers with his own.

"I am rather surprised that you aren't furious with me, Jedi."

She tore her eyes away from him and turned them to the floor. "You were just trying to save me."

"No, I was saving the artefact you recovered." Scourge sighed. Did both Kahlei and Ashara believe him to be that soft? The Jedi didn't answer and he moved to sit next to her on the sofa. "Were you truly prepared to throw your life away for Praven?"

She just continued to stare at the durasteel tiles in silence.

Scourge pinched the bridge of his nose. "How many times do I have to explain to you that your own life should be worth more to you than anyone else's?"

"Why should it? What makes me more important than someone else?"

"No, you misunderstand my words. I am not saying that you are more valuable than anyone else - you are certainly not more so than I. What I am saying is that you must put your own life above everyone else's and look out for yourself before anyone else. You must fight for your own life and trust that others will do the same for their lives. If they cannot save themselves, then they are weak." Scourge sighed. "You have such a terrible survival instinct, Jedi. I would not be surprised if you told me that you got captured because you wasted time trying to save another person."

For a moment, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Then, she turned back away. "No."

"Then what lead to your capture?"

"I was searching for information on my parents but someone recognised me." Kahlei closed her eyes and Scourge could see her throat move as she swallowed. "I.. I killed him."

"You've killed plenty of Sith before. What makes a Jedi's life different from a Sith's? There is no difference - a life is a life."

"No, this  _is_ different." Kahlei spun round and sat cross legged opposite him, brows furrowed. "I knew him as a kid, and he wasn't trying to kill me - he was trying to save me. But I killed him."

He supposed that was why Praven had accused him of 'corrupting her mind'. She'd probably drawn upon the Dark Side and had been blinded by the bloodlust it invoked. But it had been a necessary lesson for her.

She gazed down at her hands. "I can't blame it on the Dark Side. Not fully. Like Praven said, it was my choice to use it. I knew that I couldn't control it but I still used it."

Clearly she wasn't just not making progress - the little progress that had been made was also being undone. Scourge sneered, "And you plan on avoiding it? Plan on clinging to your pathetic Light?"

Kahlei clasped her head. "Why must it be one or the other? Why can't it be neither? Or both? Why can't I create my own path? Is wanting to be my own person really that much to ask for? Why do I have to be defined by one or the other?"

Scourge ran his fingers over a face tendril. Neither light nor dark... that was what Revan had been. Revan had been able to use both sides together - to the Force as a whole. And he had been extraordinarily powerful.

"I have only ever met one individual capable of utilising both. He was his own person: not held back by the Light or chained down by the Darkness - he was truly free. He held incredible power."

"You don't think I'm capable of it?"

"I doubt it. To wield both would be an astonishing feat, impossible for most."

Kahlei frowned and when she looked up, determination was carved into her face - similar to the expression she'd had when she'd told him that he'd have to kill her to kill Praven. "Then I will prove I'm not most people."

Scourge smirked. If she managed it, he would be impressed.


	29. Chapter 29

Neither Light nor Dark; neither Ashla nor Bogan. But both. That was the essence of the Je'daii teachings.

Kahlei squeezed her eyes shut. Somehow, she had to find the fine line between Light and Dark. In his teachings, Master Ketu had named that line the 'pivot point': the point of ultimate balance. It sounded easy in text: embrace both sides of the Force - equally. But in reality, Kahlei had quickly found, it was a near impossible ambition. She clenched her jaw. If her predecessors could attain it, then so could she. And once she found this point - according to the teachings, anyway - it would get easier and easier to find it. Eventually, putting her mind in this state would come as quickly as drawing upon a definite side of the Force.

The first step was to open the mind to the force; that was the easiest part. So, Kahlei did just that. But the difficult part was balancing the unbalanced force she was embracing. Depending where one was in the galaxy, the state of the Force in that location differed. For example, on Tython the Force was almost fully Light. Whereas on Korriban, it was almost fully Dark. The starship was still on Tython, so that meant Kahlei had to balance the Light with Darkness.

And it that was the problem. The Darkness that she drew out of herself had to be equal and opposite to the Light that drawn in. If the Dark energy was too weak, then she wouldn't reach that pivot point. But if she drew upon too much, then it'd overwhelm the Light energy. And that was what kept happening. Each time she drew upon the Darkness inside herself, she could feel herself spiralling further and further down a staircase - one that lead to the Dark Side's prison. And the same thing happened now.

Kahlei sunk back on her knees. Perhaps if she reversed it - be on a planet like Korriban and draw upon the Light to counter the Dark - then she would be able to find the point. And if she succeeded at that, then maybe it'd make balancing the Light with Dark much easier.

Kahlei reached into her pocket for the meditation stone she'd recovered from the Archives. Apparently those that were starting to get too close to the Dark Side meditated on the Light Side with a stone of Ashla like this one to help them rebalance. Maybe if she tried that reverse method, then she would be able to use the stone as her candle against the Darkness.

Her thoughts were broken off by the sound of a familiar, Imperial voice coming from outside of her quarters.

"I gave you one, simple task. And yet, you failed."

"I did get her lightsabers back though," came the higher pitched reply.

"I do not care about that! I only care about the artefact that you failed to recover."

Scourge and Ashara bickering once again? Not that it was much of a surprise. But she was glad to hear Ashara's voice. Now that she was back from the errand that Scourge had sent her on - before Scourge had met up with Kahlei - they were able to leave Tython. Doc had been back a short while, saying that Praven was back to health. Whilst that was a relief, she knew that she didn't have long before he'd inform the Council of her escape and they would send Jedi after her. But once she got off Tython and was in Hyperspace, then the Council would have no idea where to find her.

So, Scourge had sent Ashara to recover the artefact and her lightsabers? Kahlei had said nothing of the stone she'd kept in her pockets, wanting to further inspect it before putting it away for the ritual. Part of her wanted to keep it for herself. But the better part of her knew that wasn't an option. The artefact was necessary for Scourge's ritual. Although it was a shame for such a fascinating object to go to waste, it would be for a good cause. Well, she hoped the cause would turn out to be good.

As for her lightsabers, she'd deemed them as being replaceable. Rather, she'd preferred to have them replaced. Embarking on her new path with new lightsabers would have been a fresh start - completely free from her previous deeds. Besides, did she really want to wield the weapons that had committed such an atrocity? Kahlei closed her eyes again. No, it wasn't the weapons' fault; it was the wielder's.

"You are useless, worm."

"I didn't see you trying to get her stuff back," Ashara objected. "It wasn't easy, you know."

"I was preoccupied."

"I could have rescued her!"

"No. You'd have undoubtedly failed that, too. You'd have failed at defeating even someone as weak as Praven."

"I'm not weak! I'll show you how strong I am!" Kahlei heard the hum of a lightsaber's ignition.

Scourge chuckled. "You will regret this, whelp."

Oh, great. So their regular verbal conflict had turned into physical conflict? Kahlei sighed. Hopefully this wouldn't permanently replace the arguments. She'd didn't feel up to breaking fights apart every two seconds.

Hearing the clash of lightsabers, Kahlei hurried out of her quarters. When she got to the scene, she saw Scourge and Ashara with their lightsabers locked together, standing atop the stairs to the Med Bay. Ashara appeared to be drawing upon every ounce of energy in her body to match Scourge's strength. Scourge, on the other hand, looked very amused.

Kahlei rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"Contrary to your probable belief, the Togruta initiated this." Scourge deactivated his lightsaber. Ashara, albeit reluctantly, did the same.

"I don't care who started it." Ashara opened her mouth to speak, but Kahlei continued, cutting her off. "Is being civil really that difficult?" Neither answered, but they both didn't look impressed at the lecture.

"T7 = tried to stop it. Knuckleheads = wouldn't listen."

Kahlei bit her lip in an attempt to not grin. She could have sworn that the droid's personality got quirkier by the day. Neither one of the "Knuckleheads" took kindly to the name and glared at TeeSeven. Worried that he'd come out with an even more offensive insult, Kahlei turned back to TeeSeven. "Could you find CeeTwo and get him to set course for Oricon?"

"T7 = Right away." With that, the droid whirred off.

"Oh yeah," Ashara started. "I heard something about that. Apparently this Jedi called Barsen'thor is healing the surviving Dread Master."

"Barsen'thor? Isn't that one the newer Council members? The one that lead a strike team against the Dread Masters?" Kahlei frowned. She'd never met Barsen'thor before, but from all accounts, she'd heard that Barsen'thor was an indomitable servant of the Light. Apparently her wisdom surpassed her age and she was the Council's favourite representative. No, not representative - the perfect lap dog. Kahlei resisted the urge to smack herself in the face. Although it was true that the Council were manipulative, her words seemed to be echoing Scourge's more and more. And she doubted that was a good thing.

Ashara shrugged at her. "No idea. Kinda hard to keep up with Jedi news when you're on the other side of the galaxy with a Sith."

"If we find this Barsen'thor," Scourge said, "then we shall find Calphayus. And then we shall find the artefact."

Kahlei nodded. "But we don't know where to find Barsen'thor."

"Then we start by retracing her steps on Oricon. I imagine that there will be Republic fools who know where she went." Scourge narrowed his eyes. "But the more pressing issue is that you failed to recover the first artefact."

Kahlei slid her hand into her pocket, running her fingers over its smooth, cool surface. For a moment, she contemplated lying about it. But no, a simple stone - no matter how much it may have helped her grow stronger - wasn't worth Scourge's mortality. "No, I have it." Kahlei placed it in Scourge's outstretched hand. As soon as she let go of it, she felt cold and exposed - the soothing blanket no longer shielding her.

* * *

Although the landscape consisted of colours on the opposite end of the spectrum to Korriban's, Oricon reminded Kahlei of it. The Dark Side was exceptionally strong on both. On Korriban, however, the energy felt ancient - dormant. Here, there was the same dormant aspect, but it was mostly vivid. The instant they'd entered Oricon's orbit, she'd felt its dark tendrils reaching out towards here. Reaching out to wrap its vines around her, enslaving her in its madness.

drew in a deep, shaky breath as she took yet another step further into the heart of Oricon. Frowning, Kahlei reached for the Light inside her, seeking to draw out just enough to balance out the Dark Side that sought to imprison her. But when she did, she ended up almost completely blocking it out. Although it was another failure at achieving the pivot point, it was a relief to be shielded from the Darkness.

Scourge, in comparison, appeared unaffected by the Force here. Actually, she'd have said he looked in his element. Ashara had outright refused to get off the ship, as repulsed by the madness as she was. Not that Kahlei blamed her. If there had been an alternative to stepping on the moon, she'd have gladly taken it.

The trees, the grass, the soil - they were all withered, corrupted by the madness. This was the Dark Side at its strongest. Its most terrifying. Its most deadly. Kahlei swallowed. This was the same Dark Side that she'd previously wanted to wield. Although the nature of its energy differed, the Dark Side was the Dark Side. Once again, Praven's words echoed in her mind. The Dark Side was chaos. Nobody could control it. It only sought to control you.

Kahlei frowned. But if nobody could control it, then why hadn't Scourge gone insane with its power? Was he only dipping his feet into it? Had he not been swept up in its tide? Or maybe it was to do with his curse? She considered asking him about it, but she doubted he'd even know himself.

Kahlei opened up her senses. She could feel life here. Not a dense amount, but there were definitely sentient life forms. She sensed one of the larger groups not too far ahead, where the Republic outpost they were headed for was supposed to be.

Now metres away from the outpost, troopers surrounded them both. As they drew closer and noticed Scourge, their expressions turned from suspicion to disgust.

"Sith," the Sergeant snarled, looking more animal than human. "Lower your weapon and maybe we'll let you live."

Scourge narrowed his eyes and for a moment, Kahlei thought he would charge at the Sergeant. But he stayed still.

"We're not Sith," Kahlei said. "I am Master Kahlei Halin." Hopefully the Order hadn't informed the Republic of the recent incident. Then again, she supposed that she'd always have a high-ranking position and security clearance in the Republic. But it seemed like the Republic troopers had no idea that she was no longer part of the Order. Kahlei glanced around. And fortunately, it seemed that the Outpost held no Jedi.

The troopers' eyes all widened. "You- you're the Hero of Tython! The one who killed the Emperor!" one said. The rest murmured amongst themselves, until they warily cast their eyes back over to Scourge.

"Oh, this is my padawan, Onur."

Scourge looked like he wanted to object, but he remained silent.

"P-padawan? But he's Sith!"

"No, he  _was_ Sith. But now he's a student of the Light." Upon seeing the troopers relax at her words, Kahlei did too.

"Master Halin?" The female human - the Sergeant - who had spoken earlier stepped forwards. "Did the Order send you to help us?"

Kahlei frowned. Wasn't the threat of the Dread Masters over? "No, they sent me to find my colleague - Barsen'thor. What do you need help with?"

"The Barsen'thor? Barsen'thor was the one who saved us from the madness. But the madness wasn't completely diminished. It lingers. Without a leader, the Dread Forces are scattered. But that doesn't mean that they aren't hostile. Every day, they're getting more bold. We believe that someone is trying to unite the forces - to finish what the Dread Masters started."

"Didn't you talk to Barsen'thor about this?" Kahlei asked.

"No. She's got her hands full with that Dread Master, Calphayus. He turned himself in."

"I'll see what I can do. But first, I really need to speak to Barsen'thor. Have you got her frequency?"

"Of course!"


End file.
